NRSC Celebrates Gov. Jim Justice Entrance into West Virginia Senate Race

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) celebrates Gov. Jim Justice’s entrance into West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race after reportedly recruiting him to run.

“Jim Justice is a proven winner whose record of creating jobs, cutting taxes, and fighting for conservative values has made him one of the most popular governors in the country,” NRSC Chair Steve Daines (R-MT) wrote.

The NRSC chair’s statement celebrates Justice’s decision to run for the Senate without officially endorsing him just yet.

Justice still has run in the highly contested — and one of the most closely watched — primaries against Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), who already announced he would be running for the seat before he could run in the general against a Democrat, whether that is incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) or someone else.

Justice has close ties to former President Donald Trump, enjoys high approval ratings, has his personal wealth, and has run statewide and won the governorship twice. He was also reportedly heavily recruited by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), his super PAC, and the Senate Republican’s campaign arm. On the other hand, the conservative Club for Growth has already committed to spending over $10 million, if they need to, to get Mooney elected.

Both will vie for the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who won the state in the 2020 presidential election by nearly 40 points.

Additionally, incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who is one of the more moderate Democrat senators and would be running for reelection in a deep red state, is keeping everyone guessing as to his next moves and leaving options open for what, if anything, he may run for in the next election.

He has not yet announced his decision on if he will run for reelection to keep his seat, nor has he confirmed if he would instead run for president or if he would run as a Democrat in the upcoming election.

Furthermore, the UVA Center for Politics marked West Virginia’s U.S. Senate seat as “Lean Republican” in the first set of projections for the 2024 cycle. Sabato’s Crystal Ball Managing Editor Kyle Kondik noted that starting the incumbent as an “underdog” with the “Lean Republican” rating is “fairly unusual.”

The projection further explained that this rating is partially due to Manchin’s being undecided on reelection and the state’s political landscape changing since he last ran.

Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.