(CNN) Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is one of the most powerful men in Washington . Progressives should realize that Manchin is an electoral miracle of sorts. North Dakota's Heidi Heitkamp (where Trump won by 33 points in 2020) lost her reelection bid by 11 points in 2018 . But perhaps what's most bizarre about progressives upset with Manchin is that the average Democrat to represent West Virginia likely wouldn't be any more liberal. West Virginia is a very red state and Manchin votes with Democrats about as often as he'd be expected to based on that fact).

Source: CNN February 06, 2021 15:00 UTC