West Virginia’s governor has launched a bid for a U.S. Senate seat representing the state, in a challenge to longtime incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)
Republican Gov. Jim Justice filed papers with the Federal Election Commission and is reportedly expected to formally announce his campaign later on April 27.
Justice, 72, a former Democrat with a net worth north of $1 billion, has been West Virginia’s governor since 2017. He will likely face Manchin, 75, who has held the seat since 2010.
Manchin has not officially announced a re-election bid for the seat.
“I am laser focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do—lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security and getting our fiscal house in order,” Manchin said in an emailed statement The Epoch Times on Thursday. “But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter.”
Republicans are anticipating flipping the seat in their bid to wrest back control of the Senate after losing it in 2020 and seeing the Democrat majority grow by one in the midterm elections. Manchin has survived several close races in the red state. In 2018, he trumped West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey despite getting under 50 percent of the vote.
Justice won his first race for governor as a Democrat but switched to the GOP after taking office, announcing his decision at a rally for then-President Donald Trump.
Several Republicans have already launched campaigns for the seat Manchin holds. Electrician Christopher Rose is running on a platform that includes focusing on defending Second Amendment rights while Rep. Alexander Mooney (R-W.Va.) says he will return to champion individual freedom and personal responsibility if elected.
Mooney, 51, this week said on MetroNews’ “TalkLine” that Justice is “more of a liberal Republican” while he is “a proven conservative.”
Justice is prevented by state law from running for another term as governor.
“I would tell you just this: I won’t be your governor a whole lot longer,” Justice said in his State of the State speech in January. “But I surely won’t go away. You know, in fact, you’ll probably either be able to find me at home or you may find me in Washington.”
Democrats have a 51–49 majority in the Senate after flipping a seat in Pennsylvania. Republicans successfully defended the other seats up for grabs but couldn’t flip any of the Democrat-held ones.
The map is more favorable to the GOP in 2024, with Manchin and other Democrats defending seats in states that voted for Trump. That includes seats held by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio). None of the seats Republicans are defending are in states that voted for President Joe Biden.
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