Exciting news! The Republican Governor of West Virginia is reportedly gearing up to launch a campaign for Joe Manchin’s Senate seat. Stay tuned for updates!

Exciting news from West Virginia! Reports are swirling that Republican Governor Jim Justice is gearing up for a 2024 Senate campaign against incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin. An invitation to a special announcement event at Justice’s Greenbrier Resort has tongues wagging, with sources suggesting that the governor will use the occasion to announce his Senate bid. Justice, a wealthy coal tycoon, was elected governor as a Democrat in 2016 before switching to the Republican Party the following year. With his second term as governor coming to an end, Justice is eyeing a new challenge in Washington.

According to a recent Morning Consult poll, Justice is more popular than Manchin with voters across the political spectrum. GOP senators have reportedly been working hard to recruit Justice for a Senate campaign against Manchin, as they seek to take control of the upper chamber from the Democrats.

Manchin, a moderate Democrat and former West Virginia governor, won re-election in 2018, two years after Donald Trump won the state’s presidential election by a whopping 42 points. Manchin and Arizona’s now-independent Senator Kyrsten Sinema are often seen as roadblocks to leftist proposals in Congress.

The Senate race is already heating up, with Republican Rep. Alex Mooney announcing his campaign for Manchin’s seat last November. Senator Ted Cruz has thrown his support behind Mooney, calling him a “strong conservative” who will “represent the values” of West Virginia in the Senate. The Club for Growth PAC has also endorsed Mooney’s campaign.

Manchin has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election in the upper chamber, but with Justice and Mooney already in the race, it’s shaping up to be an exciting battle for control of West Virginia’s Senate seat. Stay tuned for more updates!