CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) — How long ago did I tell you about Republican Congressman Alex Mooney’s negative campaign against fellow GOP Congressman David McKinley.
The answer: months … actually years. It’s Mooney’s style; it’s what he does. Go ask folks in his former state of Maryland. No allegation, true or not, has been beneath Mooney’s campaign radar.
Ask Maryland State Senator Ron Young about Mooney. I spent an afternoon with Young in his hometown of Frederick, Maryland.
Young had the unfortunate path of having to take on Mooney in the State Senate race.
Although Young won, he took lump after lump from Mooney. Young has a collection of campaign ads Mooney ran against him that he called everything from “lies” to “untruths” to “fabrications.”
“He’ll do anything to win an election,” said the 81-year-old Senator. “I can tell you he and his buddies can spread vicious, misleading lies better than anyone I’ve met in my 75 years around politics.”
So Mooney is doing the only thing he can. Since population lost cost WV a Congressman, McKinley and Mooney are now in the same district starting in 2022.
It’s assumed both are running to hold onto their seats. Mooney’s campaign, in which all generally agree he’s an underdog, is already underway.
The Mooney campaign, with more than $2 million in campaign funds, might be expected to open earlier than McKinley, who has around $600,000. Filing for the May primary begins in mid-January.
During Thanksgiving week, Mooney began running two video ads on YouTube. He is also running them in the Wheeling market.
Former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Mooney in the race is touted in a seven-second spot. There are two versions of the second ad — one 15 and one 30 seconds. They both attack McKinley as a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) for being one of the 13 GOP Representatives who voted in favor of the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act.
It’s generally accepted that Mooney is more conservative than McKinley although some vote reporting services say McKinley voted more often with Trump than Mooney.
The new district is heavily weighted in McKinley’s favor. Most of the new district is made up of counties from McKinley’s former district.
“It was a bill no conservative would support but David McKinley did,” the narrator of the two longer commercials says.
“President Joe) Biden’s trillion-dollar spending spree was dead until McKinley resurrected it, joining 12 RINO Republicans to spend trillions on (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi’s socialist agenda, contributing to record inflation for American workers, businesses, and families. RINO David McKinley voted with the left and sold us out.”
Of course, Mooney campaign staffers don’t use the word “negative” to.describe their commercials. “Informing voters of McKinley’s liberal voting record is our job, one told a reporter who the Mooney campaign apparently speaks to.
McKinley Campaign Manager Kevin Stephens told the Weirton Daily Times that Mooney is “distorting” McKinley’s record.
“It’s unfortunate that our opponent has already started misleading, negative attacks,” Stephens said. “It’s clear he wants to distract the voters from the fact that McKinley has a better voting record with Trump than he does and a proven record of conservative wins for our miners, veterans, and the people of West Virginia.”
This will be fun to watch.