Senator Joe Manchin – Deep in West Virginia’s ruby-red state, where they believe they have the best chance of unseating moderate Senator Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Republicans are squabbling over the direction of the party. Republicans are already looking at West Virginia as a viable pickup opportunity in a Senate electoral map that is largely predicted to favor them over Democrats, even though it is still early in the 2024 campaign. Senator Joe Manchin has not yet disclosed his future plans.
One of the last remaining Democratic senators from a very red state, Joe Manchin, is a member of a rapidly disappearing breed. In West Virginia, he has consistently maintained his position by defying his party on crucial votes and cultivating a reputation as a centrist. (Image courtesy of Getty Images)
The only significant candidate who has publicly declared thus far is Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va. Recently, the conservative organization Club For Growth gave his campaign a boost by pledging to donate at least $10 million to the House Freedom Caucus member. But Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., seems to be leaning toward Jim Justice, the state’s well-liked governor, who defected from the Democratic to the Republican party in 2017.
Those who are expected to vote in the U.S. in 2024 recently participated in a poll. Governor Jim Justice is leading other potential contenders in the Senate Republican Primary, including five-term Congressman Alex Mooney. (WV Metro News/Photo)
Justice said last month on Fox & Friends that he was “seriously considering” running for the Senate but has not yet done so.
Senator Joe Manchin and Gov. Jim Justice
The McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund referred to Justice as the “strongest” contender to take on Manchin in November 2024 without making any mention of Mooney’s candidacy. According to Senate Leadership Fund spokesman Torunn Sinclair, Governor Justice is incredibly well-liked in West Virginia, has already dominated the Republican primary field, and would be the clear front-runner in the general election to unseat Senator Joe Manchin.
According to a source, Justice has been courted to run by Steve Daines, R-Mont., chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the head of the Senate GOP’s political arm. The source cited Justice’s high level of support from West Virginians as well as Republican-friendly measures like the large tax cuts he put into effect this year. The insider claimed that “West Virginians love him” and that “he just has a strong record in the state.” Additionally, Justice is better known in the state than Mooney.
The political landscape in West Virginia resembles that of the rest of the nation in 2022, when Democrats retained control of the Senate and a number of GOP candidates—many of whom were hardliners backed by then-President Donald Trump—lost contests that had been predicted to lean right.
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Senator Joe Manchin and Rep Alex Mooney
Trump supporter Mooney noted that the former president’s political platform was extremely popular in both 2016 and 2020 in an interview with Fox News Digital. It was put to the test in Mooney’s House primary last year when he faced up against Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., who had lost a seat due to redistricting.
Justice and Senator Joe Manchin supported McKinley, while Trump supported Mooney. In his interview, Mooney referred to Justice and Senator Joe Manchin as “big-spending liberals” and cited Justice’s prior Democratic allegiance.
