Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has challenged state Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the Senate race.
On Thursday, Justice announced that he was running for senator in 2024. His platform would revolve around parental rights, 2nd Amendment protections, and cutting taxes.
“Tonight, I am officially announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate, and I absolutely will promise you to God above, that I will do the job, and I will do the job that will make you proud,” the governor said. “I mean it when I tell you I’m a patriot, I mean it when I tell you I love this country, and that’s all there is to it.”
Justice has a chance to beat Manchin, as well as fellow Republican hopeful Rep. Alex Mooney, as a Tarrance Group poll from February shows that the governor would beat Manchin 52 percent to 42 percent, while Mooney would lose by 15 points.
Both Justice and Mooney are vying for former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, but a March National Public Affairs poll shows that the governor has 78 percent of the voters’ support, while the congressman only has 48 percent.
“West Virginia voters want a principled conservative like Alex Mooney who will fight the out-of-control spending and woke policies coming from Washington,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh said in a statement.
“The fact is Jim Justice is Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate, and would support the reckless spending that Manchin voted for and more. We expect the former Democrat to do great with the small number of Republican primary voters who are pro-inflation and supported Justice’s push for the largest tax increase in the history of West Virginia,” the statement continued.
Manchin, meanwhile, is under fire for allegedly steering millions in federal funds to groups linked to his wife, Gayle Manchin. Earlier this year, Fox reported that the West Virginia Democrat helped ensure funding reached at least three organizations where his wife worked at the time.
I asked Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) his thoughts on Republican Gov. Jim Justice’s run for Senate in West Virginia.
— Grady Trimble (@Grady_Trimble) April 27, 2023
“I just won’t lose,” Manchin, who has yet to announce a re-election bid, said. pic.twitter.com/ycRWmUKIGq
Manchin is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal discretionary spending bills. One of his representatives responded to an inquiry by saying the senator was committed to utilizing his position on the Appropriations Committee to “fight for” state interests and pointed out that other legislators were also involved in supporting initiatives benefiting his wife’s employers.
