WV Gov. Jim Justice Files To Challenge Joe Manchin

Politico reports:

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice filed paperwork to run for the Senate on Thursday and is expected to make an official announcement this evening. He is seeking the Republican nomination to take on the seat held by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in what will likely be one of the most hotly contested and closely watched Senate contests in the country.

Justice is a well-liked and wealthy coal magnate who is an ally to former President Donald Trump, and Republicans believe his campaign kickoff goes a long way toward retaking the Senate next year.

Trump won the state by 39 percentage points in 2020, and the Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund recently commissioned a poll showing Justice is the strongest candidate against Manchin.

Read the full article. Justice is worth an estimated $1.2 billion. He was first elected governor in 2016 as a Democrat but switched to the GOP several months later, making the announcement from the stage of a Trump rally.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) has formally filed paperwork to challenge Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in 2024, raising the chances that Republicans can retake the Senate.https://t.co/ZrMw00wOwq

— Axios (@axios) April 27, 2023