Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) to become the state’s Republican nominee for the Senate.
“Big Jim Justice, the Governor of the Great State of West Virginia (I LOVE WEST VIRGINIA!), is BIG in every way, but especially in his wonderful HEART❤️!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Big Jim will be a Great UNITED STATES SENATOR, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!”
The endorsement is a hit to GOP Rep. Alex Mooney, who is also vying for the seat currently occupied by moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin. Republicans see Manchin’s seat as a potential pick-up in the 2024 election that could help them win back the balance of power in the Senate.
Justice, a one-time billionaire who has served as governor for two terms, announced his bid in April amid West Virginia term limits. He initially won the governor’s race in 2016 as a Democrat, but switched to the Republican Party in 2017 before winning again in 2020.
Trump won West Virginia in the 2020 presidential race, with 69% of the vote.
It’s unclear if Manchin — who has drawn ire from both sides of the aisle — will run for reelection, or even if he’ll remain a Democrat should he do so. The lawmaker said last month he “would think very seriously” about becoming an independent.
“The brand has become so bad, the D brand and R brand,” Manchin said in an interview with MetroNews in August. “In West Virginia, the D brand because it’s nationally bad. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia. It’s the Democrats in Washington, or the Washington policies of the Democrats. You’ve heard me say a million times that I’m not a Washington Democrat.”