Republicans need to play the video of Hillary bad-mouthing coal miners. Over and over. Hit Manchin on Second Amendment issues. He will be hard to beat. Sells himself as “conservative, Blue-dog Democrat.” That dog won’t hunt. Not anymore. Virtually extinct.
You don’t win in the upper Midwest by simply trying to tie the D to Hillary or Pelosi! That’s the point. That dog doesn’t hunt here.. it may fire up your hard core base but it won’t get you those disenfranchised MAGA voters and conservative Democrats who are really republicans but haven’t come to terms with the fact their party abandoned them.
You need to give them a reason to vote FOR you, not simply tell them the other guy is a rubber stamp for X. That didn’t get those voters for 20 years and won’t get them now.
This guy is a sitting senator and a former governor, there is more than enough to give folks a reason to vote for you and not him... highlight what he did in office. The killing of coal, the free trade deals. Etc etc.