Gov. Jim Justice, left, has already engaged in a war of words with U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, RW.Va., right, since both announced their candidacies for the US Senate seat currently held by Democrat Joe Manchin.
WHEELING — With the 2024 primary election a year away, you can already hear rumblings signaling the start of a political fight in the race for the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in West Virginia.
Incumbent Gov. Jim Justice, often accompanied by his English bulldog, Babydog, and U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney have announced they will run for the 2024 GOP nomination.
The barks have already begun in a race that will likely be one of the most watched in the entire country next year.
As Republicans seek to regain their majority in the U.S. Senate, they see West Virginia as a state where they can win a seat that has been held by Democrats between current Sen. Joe Manchin, former Sen. Carte Goodwin and the late Sen. Robert C .Byrd since then. 1959
Mooney’s campaign released this statement after Justice’s Senate announcement: “Jim Justice made a low-energy announcement of his run for the United States Senate so boring he had to beg Babydog to stay awake. Because Jim Justice’s lips were moving, he was lying.”
Meanwhile, the justice has told West Virginia radio that he is not concerned that Mooney has the support of many West Virginia lawmakers.
“I’m glad some of our legislators know that Alex Mooney is remotely connected to West Virginia,” Justice said. “I mean, who in the world in the state of West Virginia knows that Alex Mooney is a West Virginian. I mean, the truth is, Alex Mooney is from Maryland and he’s absolutely, totally connected to Maryland.
“He’s in the United States Congress, and after all, I promise you, hardly anyone south of Clarksburg has seen him. I’ve seen him once.”
Justice indicated to The Intelligencer during a recent stop in Wheeling that he won’t be bothered by catcalls in the dogfight.
“I am a competitor. To be perfectly clear and honest, I’m not at all concerned about petty (campaigns),” Justice said. “I probably won’t be there. But after all, this world of politics has now gone mad. That’s all there is to it. You just have to ask yourself one question: is it worth it? And we are. So whatever the crap is, it’s worth it. And that’s what we’re going to do.”
Mooney’s campaign says they want to stay focused on what’s happening in Washington and the nation.
“Congressman Mooney is talking about issues like inflation and fighting the drug epidemic,” said Mooney’s campaign manager, John Findlay. “Meanwhile, his opponent, Jim Justice, is resorting to personal attacks because he knows Congressman Mooney’s values align with the people of West Virginia and is 100 percent conservative, unlike him and (Democrat and incumbent Sen.) Joe Manchin, who were cheerleaders for Biden. reckless spending.”
Manchin has not yet indicated whether he will seek re-election in 2024.
Sam Workman, professor of political science and director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University’s John D. “Jay” Rockefeller School of Policy and Politics, said the real race in the contest for the US Senate seat will be between Mooney and Justice.
While many pundits have suggested that the winner of the Republican nomination will emerge from the primary as a wounded candidate, Workman doesn’t think that will be the case.
He compared Mooney’s political style to that of former President Donald Trump, whom Mooney supports.
“What you’ll find is they’re on the offensive more often than not,” Workman said.
He then compared the Justice’s style to Manchin’s, as they are at the center of most of the issues facing the nation, one of which is immigration.
“But I think Justice will be less and less able to do that as the primaries go on,” Workman continued. “He will have to take positions and be more open to them than if I left it to him.”
Workman also doesn’t think it will make much difference to Manchin which candidate wins the GOP nomination, or whether there could be a bad-tempered campaign for him next year.
“It’s been a long time and his calculation will depend on how the race is at the end of the year,” explained Workman. “Manchin is now an advanced age and his decision to run for re-election or the presidency will depend on what he considers his last act and how he wants to write his last chapter.”
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