Billionaire West Virginia Governor Jim Justice Launches GOP Primary Challenge Against Sen. Joe Manchin

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced his campaign for Senate on Thursday to oust incumbent Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced his campaign for Senate on Thursday to oust incumbent Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat.The West Virginia Senate race is one of the GOP’s best opportunities to flip a seat as Republicans seek to win a majority in the upper chamber.
Justice is a billionaire coal magnate who switched from the Democratic Party to the GOP a few months after taking office in 2017 and declared his support for Trump.
Before taking on Manchin, Justice would have to defeat Rep. Alex Mooney, who has the support of various allies of Trump, as well as Sen. Ted Cruz and the conservative group Club for Growth.
Manchin hasn’t said yet whether he will run for reelection, but he’s tacked to the right in recent months, blasting the Biden administration over its climate policies, voting with Republicans to overturn key regulations, and blocking the confirmation of some of President Joe Biden’s top executive nominees.