Posted on 04/16/2023 5:57:12 AM PDT by cotton1706
A fight over the direction of the GOP is brewing deep in ruby-red West Virginia as Republicans contemplate what they believe is their best chance to unseat moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.
While it’s early in the 2024 cycle, Republicans are already eyeing West Virginia as a reasonable pickup opportunity in a Senate electoral map that’s widely expected to favor them over Democrats. Manchin hasn’t yet said what he plans to do yet.
Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., is the only declared major candidate in the race so far. His campaign recently got a boost from conservative group Club For Growth, which pledged to spend at least $10 million toward the House Freedom Caucus member.
Mooney has also been endorsed by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
But Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appears to be looking toward a more moderate candidate in the state’s popular governor, Jim Justice, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican in 2017. Justice told Fox & Friends last month that he was “seriously considering” a Senate bid, but has not entered the race.
Without commenting on Mooney’s campaign, the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund called Justice the “strongest” candidate to face Manchin in November 2024.
“Governor Justice is an extraordinarily popular figure in West Virginia, and our polling shows he already dominates the Republican primary field and would be by far the strongest general election candidate to defeat Joe Manchin,” Senate Leadership Fund spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair told Fox News Digital.
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Steve Daines, R-Mont., leader of the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, has been “recruiting Justice to run,” according to a source familiar with the NRSC’s thinking.
(Excerpt) Read more at wfin.com ...
Mooney, ya see, took out the J6-committee-voting moderate in the primary last year (WV lost a seat in the last census). And 'ol Mitch doesn't want any conservatives that defeat moderates in HIS senate.
Also, next year Jim Justice will be 73, Alex Mooney will be 53.
Time to go home and retire, Jim.
Just put up pictures of Manchin over in the YouCraine sucking up to the little crook Zelensky.
FUMM
Club For Growth - That right there tells you that the DEEPSTATE would like to have their RINO, hiding in plain site as a "House Freedom Caucus member" so at to fool as many in W.Va as possible
If we're counting on the GOP, G-d help us.
The last two Republican nominees for the Senate against Manchin have been the absolute worst card-carrying country club establishment RINOs with zero charisma. A nice-looking, youngish MAGA type who is not afraid to pull his punches could beat Manchin. But of course, the Turtle would never allow that.
West Virginia already has one squishy RINO senator that serves as McConnell’s lackey.
https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/05-5-2022/mooneys-view-on-16/
[What happened: Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) called it “insulting” to classify the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as a domestic terrorist attack during an interview with a West Virginia radio station alongside his primary opponent, Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.).
“It was a protest. It was a protest. That’s what it was. A few people went in and the law should be implemented for those who broke it.”
— Mooney on West Virginia Metro News’ “Talkline.”]
Mooney is at a disadvantage in terms of name recognition and money. Hate to say it, except for achieving majority control, Manchin is more conservative than Justice.
“But Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appears to be looking toward a more moderate candidate in the state’s popular governor, Jim Justice, who switched parties from Democrat to Republican in 2017. Justice told Fox & Friends last month that he was “seriously considering” a Senate bid, but has not entered the race.
Without commenting on Mooney’s campaign, the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund called Justice the “strongest” candidate to face Manchin in November 2024.”
Translation: “your guy can’t win, choose mine or I will sabotage your guy.”
Praying Mitch falls off the stage someplace.
This man is a corrupt cancer in our body politic.
Well, they need to get their butts in gear and decide on someone to run for this seat. With Manchin’s approval so low, WV could be a easy state to pick up if a viable candidate is chosen. However, that decision needs to be made so that campaigning can start as soon as possible. The person needs to be visiting every county and making their name known by the end of this summer.
A MAGA candidate.
Related: Is it fair to say that West Virginia: voter law, voting technology and voting procedures - are not as vulnerable to fraud as compared to other corrupt states?
People in W. Va. should decide this, not some turtle in the Senate who meddles.
Traitor Joe is done for.
Just don’t do what the idiots in Pennsylvania did and ran two idiots for AG and senate with no chance of winning.
[Hate to say it, except for achieving majority control, Manchin is more conservative than Justice.]
https://progressivepunch.org/scores.htm?topic=&house=senate&sort=crucial-current&order=down&party=
Manchin is well to the left of Susan Collins. Trump won by 40%. He lost Maine. Collins is dead center, 47.37%, with a lifetime score of 25.75% on the progressive scale. Manchin voted far left 78.95% of the time, with a lifetime score of 62.57%. Collins shifted leftward with the Maine electorate. Manchin shifted left as the WV electorate shifted right. Manchin’s a trans moderate. He talks moderate, but is a far leftist under that moderate rhetoric.
Easier just to entice Manchin and Simena to switch parties.
IIRC, Mooney isn’t a native West Virginian.
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