Joe Manchin is an American politician and businessman who has been serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia since 2010. He was previously the 34th governor of West Virginia in 2005-10 and the 27th secretary of state of West Virginia in 2001-05. Prior to that, he was a member of the West Virginia Senate from 1986 to 1996 and a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 31st district between 1982 and 1986. A self-proclaimed “centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat”, he has earned the reputation of being the most conservative Democrat in the Senate and has often sabotaged Democratic policies like Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, abolishing the filibuster, expanding the Supreme Court, and defunding the police, while supporting Republicans on issues such as abortion, immigration, energy policy, and gun control. Most notably, he had opposed President Barack Obama's energy policies, including reductions and restrictions on coal mining, voted against cloture for the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 while not voting on the bill itself, and voted to remove federal funding for Planned Parenthood in 2015. In contrast, he supported President Donald Trump's border wall and immigration policies, and even confirmed the controversial appointment of Brett Kavanaugh as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. He is an avid pilot, outdoorsman, hunter, angler and motorcyclist.