(LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia Governor Jim Justice has officially filed paperwork to run for U.S. Senate.
Politico reports, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice filed paperwork for a Senate run on Thursday and is expected to make an official announcement Thursday evening. If he wins the nomination, he’d take on 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.