Mooney fueled by Ted Cruz support, aims for upset in West Virginia Senate race despite skepticism

KEARNEYSVILLE, West Virginia — With less than two weeks until the West Virginia Senate primary, Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) is downplaying recent polling showing his opponent, Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV), leads consistently by double digits, saying they don’t reflect the reality in the state.

“A lot of people are in denial here. A lot of people just think the establishment is going to win, but this primary is actually about who is a true conservative,” Mooney said in an interview with the Washington Examiner ahead of a campaign stop on Thursday.

The five-term congressman is facing an uphill battle against the state’s popular two-term governor, who was recruited and endorsed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Justice in the Senate race to replace outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).

The race will ultimately be a test of the NRSC’s new strategy of picking sides in primaries. The conservative Club for Growth is going head to head with the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, taking on candidates it believes are not conservative enough on fiscal issues and backing Mooney in the race.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who endorsed Mooney’s bid about a year ago, was a featured speaker at the rally. He said the outlook of the race has now changed significantly after Manchin announced he would not be running for reelection last November.

“A year ago when everyone thought Joe Manchin was going to run, the main argument that was used within the Senate was we need a candidate that can beat Manchin,” Cruz said in response to a question from the Washington Examiner. “It’s a very different race now. At this point, it is almost indisputable that the next senator from West Virginia is going to be a Republican.”

“A state that is as red as West Virginia deserves a strong conservative fighter in the Senate, and that’s exactly who Alex Mooney is,” Cruz added.

Justice leads 66% to Mooney’s 24%, according to a recent MetroNews West Virginia Poll. In an average of polling, Justice has consistently led Mooney by over 30 points throughout the cycle.

However, the fundraising numbers between the two candidates are a bit closer. Justice raised $404,948 during the first quarter and more than $2.4 million this election cycle, according to campaign finance records, leaving him with $1.1 million in cash on hand. Mooney raised $315,978 during the quarter and almost $2.1 million during the cycle and has about $1.3 million in cash on hand.

Mooney continues to slam Justice’s political past as a Democrat. The West Virginia governor has been a Republican since August 2017, when he announced the change after being elected as a Democrat.

“When the voters see a conservative option here, they leave Jim Justice very fast. They are really looking for options,” Mooney said.

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The West Virginia congressman, who has been crisscrossing the state for 18 months, said he’s going to focus more on the southern part of the state in the remaining days ahead of the May 14 primary.

“I’m going to focus more on the southern counties, where I have not been their congressman,” Mooney said. “I have represented two-thirds of the state in the U.S. House of Representatives, but the southern part, I have not.”