{"id":1922999,"date":"2023-05-02T22:40:23","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T02:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-republicans-close-in-on-pivotal-west-virginia-senate-seat-held-by-manchin\/"},"modified":"2023-05-02T22:43:35","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T02:43:35","slug":"in-depth-republicans-close-in-on-pivotal-west-virginia-senate-seat-held-by-manchin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-republicans-close-in-on-pivotal-west-virginia-senate-seat-held-by-manchin\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP nears crucial WV Senate seat held by Manchin."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fin-depth-republicans-close-in-on-pivotal-west-virginia-senate-seat-held-by-manchin%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1922999&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>West Virginia Senate Race in 2024: A Toss-Up<\/h2>\n<div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0503\/d5caee22-a53c-41b9-9358-c06f8a944e62\/audio.mp3?length=10936269&#038;duration=911\"><\/div>\n<p>Republicans are determined to overturn the Democrats\u2019 51-49 advantage in the Senate, and their focus is on West Virginia in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>This mostly rural state, where natural gas and coal are still prominent industries, will be in the spotlight. The Cook Political Report considers the Senate race here as one of the few toss-ups in 2024. Inside Elections rates it as a \u201cbattleground,\u201d and Sabato\u2019s Crystal Ball says it \u201cleans Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Sen. Joe Manchin\u2019s Future<\/h3>\n<p>Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is up for reelection. He is the only Democrat who holds statewide office in a state that has shifted from blue to robust red.<\/p>\n<p>Manchin, 75, said he will announce his 2024 intentions by the end of the year. Speculation indicates he could pursue reelection or run for president as an independent or a third-party candidate.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, he said, \u201ceverything is on the table\u201d regarding 2024.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5223431\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/26\/id5223431-GettyImages-1426272213-1200x793.jpg\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/26\/id5223431-GettyImages-1426272213-1200x793.jpg\" alt=\"Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Sept. 22, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Jim Justice Enters the Race<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Last week, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice entered the Republican Senate primary, which includes Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.)<\/p>\n<p>Justice, 72, has the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the Senate Leadership Fund, which is aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).<\/p>\n<p>Mooney, 51, received endorsements from the conservative Club for Growth PAC, Gun Owners of America, and lawmakers that included Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)<\/p>\n<p>Justice\u2019s recruitment reflects the NRSC\u2019s commitment to a greater hands-on approach to 2024 after the party\u2019s results in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-jr-outlines-future-of-maga-movement\/\" title=\"Donald Trump Jr. outlines future of MAGA movement\">2022 midterm elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJim Justice is a proven winner whose record of creating jobs, cutting taxes, and fighting for conservative values has made him one of the most popular governors in the country,\u201d NRSC Chairman Steve Daines said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Justice made his fortune from farming and his family\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/australia-rejects-cop26-climate-summit-demand-to-stop-selling-coal\/\" title=\"Australia Rejects COP26 Climate Summit Demand to Stop Selling Coal\">coal mining operations<\/a>. He announced his candidacy for the Senate race at his Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs. He criticized President Joe Biden and spoke about abortion and gun control among other issues.<\/p>\n<p>Justice, who was a Democrat when he took office as governor in 2016 but switched to the Republican party in 2017, is known for his exuberant, folksy persona. He brings his English bulldog, Babydog, to major events.<\/p>\n<p>In December 2021, when Manchin said he couldn\u2019t support Biden\u2019s Build Back Better legislation, entertainer Bette Midler tweeted that West Virginia is \u201chorrible\u201d and that Manchin \u201cwants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate, and strung out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From a podium during his State of the State address a month later, Justice pointed his beloved canine\u2019s rear end at the camera and said that Midler could kiss Babydog\u2019s \u201chiney\u201d for insulting West Virginians.<\/p>\n<p>The room full of legislators responded with a rousing standing ovation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGod bless you,\u201d Justice said. \u201cI told you I\u2019d make you smile.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In backing Justice\u2019s bid, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an ally of former President Donald Trump, said the governor would be a more electable candidate than some Trump-backed Republicans who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-republicans-close-in-on-pivotal-west-virginia-senate-seat-held-by-manchin\/\" title=\"GOP nears crucial WV Senate seat held by Manchin.\">lost pivotal midterm races<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe made mistakes in 2022,\u201d Graham said, hinting at Herschel Walker\u2019s loss in Georgia and Mehmet Oz\u2019s defeat in Pennsylvania. \u201cWe maybe didn\u2019t nominate the right person for the state they were running in. I promise you, Jim Justice is the right person for West Virginia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) is also backing Justice and told the Greenbrier audience, \u201cI think we\u2019re really gonna make a good pair in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>West Virginia\u2019s Red State Transition<\/h3>\n<p>West Virginia\u2019s rapid move from blue to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-i-learned-from-the-beadle\/\" title=\"What I Learned from the Beadle\">red started<\/a> in 2014, when the GOP took control of both state legislative<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Striving to reverse the Democrats\u2019 51-49 advantage in the Senate, Republicans are focusing their attention in 2024 on West Virginia. Across the country, eyes will be cast on this mostly rural state where natural gas and coal still reign as prominent industries. The Senate race there is one of the few in 2024 considered a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":492,"featured_media":1923000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[13581,6203,5646,4426,7687,5839,3740],"class_list":["post-1922999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times","tag-crucial","tag-gop","tag-held","tag-manchin","tag-nears","tag-seat","tag-senate"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/492"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1922999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1922999\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1923000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1922999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1922999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1922999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}