In 2018? The low information voters will have long since forgotten --- unless NRA redeems itself by making sure that nobody forgets Manchin the Traitor's treason and anti-constitutional acts.
Exactly. A year or two before his election, Manchin will start making a bunch of speeches that get play in the W VA press that make him sound conservative on issues. He’ll get photographed hunting and fishing and talking about family values. He’ll get quoted slamming Democrats in Washington for being out of touch. And the press will protect him by not writing about his actual record. The low information voters will think he’s the same “conservative Democrat” that they thought they elected before and vote for him.