West Virginia Republicans are excited to hear that former governor of the state, Jim Justice, announced he’s running for the U.S. Senate.
Justice was elected governor of West Virginia in 2016 as a Democrat, but switched parties a year later at a rally with the Former Guy.
Justice had identified as a Republican until 2015 when he decided to run as a Democrat.
Earlier, he identified as an Independent.
Justice faces a GOP primary challenge in pro-Trump Rep. Alex Mooney, whose backers cite as a fighter for out-of-control spending and anti-woke policies.
Michigan’s Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Senate Democrats’ campaign, says a tough primary is a boost for Joe Manchin.
“West Virginia’s GOP Senate primary is going to be a nasty, messy and expensive fight and whichever candidate manages to hobble out of their intraparty battle will be damaged and out of step with the voters who will decide the general election,” said DSCC spokesperson Amanda Sherman Baity.
Polls show Justice is the favorite in the primary and the only prospective Republican candidate to notch more than 50 percent support in several hypothetical head-to-head matchups against Manchin.
Manchin is 75, and says he will wait until December to announce his plans to run for his third term in the Senate, or………make a run for President under the No-Labels party.
Manchin has also been making noises about running for president as part of an independent, No Labels–backed project that, if it had any effect at all, would be to hand the presidency to Donald Trump. It sounds like the sort of fantasy a politician would entertain when he realizes he’s unlikely to win reelection for Senate.
Slate