West Virginia's Manchin confirms he'll seek re-election, renewing Democratic hopes

Sen. Joe Manchin told Democratic colleagues he will run in 2018.

“I’m running again because I know I can bridge the political divide and put the days of division behind us,” Manchin said in a statement announcing he filed for re-election Wednesday. "I want to continue to be a problem solver and to get things done for West Virginia and the country that I love.”

In an interview with the Times, Manchin admitted he told them, “this place sucks.”

He clarified that remark Wednesday, telling CNN, “I said the place sucks when it doesn't work. I get a little frustrated at times. I let it fly that day.”

Acting as a liaison between his more liberal colleagues and the president, Manchin said that Trump was “very pleased” with outcome of the meeting.

He said the president “wants the DACA children to have certainty and a pathway forward," he told CNN.

“There might be people around [the president] that aren't quite as sympathetic as he is. My gut tells me the president wants to get this done,” he said.

The Durbin-Graham-Flake compromise proposed a week ago outlines a plan for DACA recipients to be put on a 12-year path to citizenship with up to two years credit for time spent with temporary deportation protections under the DACA program.

As a key member of the “Common Sense Coalition,” Manchin and the bipartisan group of senators are determined to hammer out a deal on immigration reform ahead of the looming Feb. 8 deadline for the continuing resolution.

“There’s a lot of good ideas out there,” the senator told ABC News Tuesday. “There’s no base bill we’re starting with.”

ABC News’ Trish Turner, Mariam Khan and Emily Goodin contributed to this report.