WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV (LOOTPRESS) – It was a star-studded affair at The Greenbrier on Thursday as West Virginia Governor Jim Justice spoke on his candidacy for the US Senate.
Things got underway with a promotional video detailing Justice’s accomplishments during his time as Governor, which was followed by West Virginia First Lady Cathy Justice. The First Lady offered a warm greeting to those in attendance before introducing US Senator from West Virginia, Shelley Moore Capito.
“We cannot afford to keep going in this direction,” Senator Capito said of the current state of politics in the country, electing Jim to the United States Senate is going to be not a small step, but a giant leap towards making that happen.”
Much attention was given during the event with the role West Virginia will undoubtedly play in the turning of the tide with regard to the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Senator Capito addressed these high stakes on Thursday.
“All of us in West Virginia, I think we rightly think and do believe that the world revolves around us. But you know what? In 2024, during the election season, it is going to revolve around us, because this is about taking back the majority in the United States Senate. This is about changing the agenda in Washington. It’s about setting an agenda for working families; for educating our children; for going back to conservative values; for making sure that this country is on the right track; and Jim is going to be a great part of that and a great partner.”
The presence of Capito speaks volumes to the shift in political climate which occurred with the announcement Thursday of Justice’s intention to unseat former WV Governor, Senator Joe Manchin.
Also of note was an appearance of United States Senator Lindsey Graham, who voiced his support for Governor Justice’s senate bid.
“I came here because I think this is where I need to be to help a man who’s leading a good life to do something really hard,” Graham said.
“This is a big country with a lot of ideas. We need people in the United States Senate worthy of a great country that can sit down and find ways to solve problems like you do every day here in West Virginia. When it comes to Jim Justice, you know exactly what you’re getting. You’re getting a solid conservative; a leader; a problem solver”
Of course, any Jim Justice event would be incomplete without an appearance from his beloved sidekick Babydog, who was acknowledged by Senator Graham prior to joining Governor Justice on the stage.
“Jim has been a heck of a governor, he’s got a great family and a wonderful dog,” said Graham to cheers from the audience.
Taking the stage himself, Governor Justice acknowledged the ongoing anticipation for the announcement of his candidacy, stating, “let me just tell you this first of all, I’m not into teasing anybody about anything. I hate like crazy it’s taken this long to make a decision, because really and truly, you didn’t deserve being teased, and you never have deserved being teased. Politicians do that all the time. I don’t want to be that. With that said, you know, Amendment Two took some time, the [legislative] session took some time.”
The newest senate candidate would declare his candidacy in an official capacity, declaring, “I am officially announcing my candidacy for the United States Senate. absolutely will promise you to God above that I will do the job and I will do the job that will make you proud.”
During his time speaking at Thursday’s event, Governor Justice touched upon a number of issues including gun control, calls to defund the police, and current US President Joe Biden, who Justice said to be suffering from “a real issue.”
Justice further stated that if President Biden were his own father he could not allow him to continue serving as president due to his inability to execute what needs to be done. He further stated with regard to the president that he was, “sad for him.”
“I’ll ask you to run right with me, right through the finish line as we have so many times,” said Justice near the end of his remarks just before bringing his own family to the stage to be introduced.
Closing his time with one of his go-to analogies, Governor Justice ended the evening stating, “any frog that’s not proud of their own pond isn’t much of a frog. We’re dead proud of the United States of America, this great state, and that absolutely you better always remember. God bless each and every one of you.”