Republicans are battling with one another about who the best candidate is to take out Democrat Senator Joe Manchin in West Virginia.
The state is deeply red on the Presidential level, but Machin has held the seat for the Democrats for many years based on his name recognition and personality. However, Fox News reports that Republicans believe they have a strong shot at taking the seat in the upcoming 2024 election.
Manchin has yet to reveal if he intends to run for re-election to the seat. It is seen as one of the most likely pick-up targets for Republicans in the 2024 cycle. The entire 2024 cycle in the Senate looks highly favorable for Republicans as they look at several different seats they can potentially pick up.
Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va. is the only significant candidate officially declared for the race. His campaign has received some backing of 10 million dollars from the Club For Growth. Mooney has also received the endorsement of Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
However, Fox News reports that Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Will likely lean toward a more moderate candidate, such as the states Governor, Jim Justice. Justice is popular in the state, and he switched parties from Democrat to Republican in 2017. Justice spoke with Fox & Friends to say he is seriously considering a bid for the Senate seat in West Virginia.
The McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund called Justice the strongest candidate to take on Manchin in 2024. They did not specifically endorse any particular candidate, but some can see the favorable comments about Justice as an endorsement.
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, said Senate Leadership Fund spokeswoman Torunn Sinclair.
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Steve Daines, R-Mont. has reportedly been trying to recruit Justice to run, according to a source close to the NRSC and how it thinks about things. The source said: Hes just got a strong record in the state, West Virginians love him, They also noted that Justice has higher name recognition than Mooney. That can also have an impact on election results in the long run.
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