West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) is projected to win the Republican primary for Senate in the state, according to the Associated Press. Justice defeated a crowded field of contenders to clinch the GOP nomination and is also heavily favored to win the general election in the deep-red state.
Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), who announced in November that he would not seek reelection, is the only remaining Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia — a state that Donald Trump won by almost 40 percentage points in 2020.
Justice, 73, is serving his second term as governor and is term-limited from seeking a third. A businessman and member of a prominent coal mining family, he was first elected to the office in 2016 — as a Democrat — and switched to the Republican Party in August 2017. Justice was endorsed in the Senate race by Trump, as well as more establishment Republicans such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), and by the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), 52, another candidate in the race with more than a half-dozen Republicans, had been backed by the ultraconservative Club for Growth PAC, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who traveled to West Virginia in recent weeks to campaign with Mooney. Mooney repeatedly sought to ding Justice as a RINO, or “Republican in Name Only,” and touted himself as the only “true conservative” in the race, a reference to Justice’s former Democratic registration. Mooney also highlighted Justice’s growing business and legal troubles centered on his family’s companies, including heavy debts.
Other candidates in the GOP primary included Bryan Bird, Zane Lawhorn, Don Lindsay, Bryan McKinney and Janet McNulty.
As the winner of the Republican primary, Justice is now heavily favored to win the general election in November. Last month, Manchin endorsed Democrat Glenn Elliott to replace him, saying the mayor of Wheeling has “the determination, the vigor and vitality” to do the job successfully.
“Glenn will always fight for West Virginia and will put our country and our state before the bickering and pettiness of the partisan politics of Washington, D.C.,” Manchin said then.
Elliott is among three candidates competing in the Democratic primary — along with former coal executive Don Blankenship and Marine Corps veteran Zachary Shrewsbury — but none have the same level of political experience or resources as Manchin or the leading GOP candidates.
Manchin, who formerly served as governor of West Virginia, was first elected to the Senate in a special election in 2010, then reelected to two full terms. However, as West Virginia became increasingly conservative, Manchin’s vote shares dwindled, from 61 percent in 2012 to 49.6 percent in 2018, when he narrowly defeated his Republican opponent by 3 points.
Justice, a former Manchin ally, entered the Senate race more than a year ago, casting himself as the strongest candidate to unseat Manchin. In November, as Manchin announced his retirement from the Senate, he called it “one of the toughest decisions of my life.” Though he had clashed frequently with members of his own party — including President Biden — Manchin had been considered the Democrats’ only chance to hold on to the West Virginia seat.
Democrats face a brutal map to retain the Senate majority in 2024. The party has a 51-49 advantage in the chamber now, and must defend vulnerable incumbents in the red states of Montana and Ohio, as well as in purple states including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin. Manchin not running also freed up Republicans to redirect money they would have spent in West Virginia to other states.
Liz Goodwin contributed to this report.
