CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin issues a statement ahead of Gov. Jim Justice’s Senate announcement today.
Gov. Jim Justice is expected to announce his U.S. Senate run at 5 pm Thursday evening, at Greenbrier Resort, which he owns. Justice has hinted for months that he would run for the seat that is currently held by Senator Joe Manchin in 2024.
Justice is considered the lead contender for the Republican nomination. If Justice wins the nomination and Manchin decides to run for the seat again, it would set up a highly heated match between the two men.
Manchin issued a statement ahead of Jim Justice’s announcement by saying: “I am laser-focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do – lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security and getting our fiscal house in order. But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter.”
Manchin is the last Democrat to hold office in WV. Trump carried the state by nearly 40 points in 2020. Republicans see it as an easy seat to flip, helping them with winning back control of the Senate chamber.