Democrat Joe Manchin is a big fan of Jeb Bush

By Ryan Lovelace, Ryan Lovelace

Published December 20, 2015

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said he believes Jeb Bush is the Republican presidential candidate most capable of serving in the White House. Manchin, a former governor himself, noted that he was partial to the governors running for president.

"Jeb Bush has been a dear friend, I've known Jeb, we've traveled together, he's most capable," Manchin said. "It's not transmitting. I would agree with all those who have observed what is going on right now, but if you're looking for a person that's most capable, Jeb is the most capable person that can do the job and do it well."

"When he was governor and I was governor, didn't matter that he was a Republican and I was a Democrat, if something was working in my state, Jeb would call. If something was working in his state, I would call. And we shared this openly and that's all you can ask for."

Manchin continued to say he thinks the 2016 GOP field is made up of entirely good people, and praised New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as well. Bush, who ranks eighth in the Washington Examiner's GOP presidential power rankings, received the support of 4 percent of Republican primary voters nationwide in a new Quinnipiac University survey released on Wednesday.