Manchin calls election results a 'wake up call;' reacts to impact on Biden agenda

West Virginia Democrat is scared because people aren't saying, ‘This is good for our country'

Sen. Joe Manchin speaks to Fox News on Biden's faltering agenda

Sen. Joe Manchin speaks with Fox News' Bret Baier on the deep partisan divide on Biden's spending blueprints on 'Special Report'

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin spoke with Fox News' Bret Baier Wednesday on "Special Report" about the implications of the Virginia governor's election as well as the tight New Jersey race.

Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated former incumbent Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in a neck-and-neck election widely seen as a referendum on President Joe Biden's policies. In New Jersey, the Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, is projected to win by a narrow margin against Republican Jack Ciattarelli. 

"I just saw it to confirm that we have a divided country … I hope it's a wake-up call for all of us," Manchin said. "I'm concerned. I've been talking about our debt, I've been talking about inflation, [and] I've been talking about the [economic] fallout we may have [from the spending bills]."

Democrats should pay more heed to the immediate needs of the American people, such as rising gas prices and infrastructure, according to Manchin. "Why don't we do more drilling and why don't we do more basically production in the United States? I'm not depending on OPEC. I'm not depending on other countries for energy anymore. We know how to do it. We have the technology. We should be relying on ourselves."

Baier asked whether the Democratic Party left Manchin, who is generally considered a moderate. 

"I'm a West Virginia Democrat, but I don't know. I don't know where maybe I belong at times, but I believe I'm fiscally responsible and socially compassionate. And you know what? I have a lot of Democrats who feel the same as I do. I have a lot of Republicans feel the same as I do."

Manchin added that he respectfully disagrees with the progressive Democratic wing's guiding philosophy. 

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"This is a shame when we start this war of words ... We can have a difference of opinion – the rhetoric around here has gotten so harsh and so toxic that you can't agree to disagree anymore. You can't sit down and say, 'OK, I disagree with you."

"What scares the bejesus out of me – I don't hear people saying, ‘This is good for our country.’ It's more or less on both sides – It's is better for my party, this is better for the 2022 elections."

Hannah Grossman is an Associate Editor at Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @GrossmanHannah