Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) endorsed Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) on Friday in what is likely to be a competitive Republican primary race for Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) seat in 2024.
The Texas senator announced his support for the West Virginia Republican on Friday, calling him a “strong conservative” who will “aggressively represent the values of the Mountain State in the Senate.”
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"I’m proud to endorse Alex Mooney for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia. Alex is a friend, he’s a fighter and a strong conservative who will ferociously defend the Second Amendment, be a champion for American energy, prioritize bringing jobs to West Virginia, and faithfully and aggressively represent the values of the Mountain State in the Senate," Cruz said in a statement.
Manchin has not announced whether he will run for reelection yet. So far, Mooney is the only Republican who is in the race. But there’s speculation that Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) is close to making a decision about whether to pursue a Senate campaign. Justice is a favorite of the Republican establishment, with several Republican operatives pointing to polling that shows Justice with a significant advantage over Manchin in a hypothetical Senate matchup: A February poll showed him up 52% to 42%.
Justice was a member of the Democratic Party until 2017, when he announced during a rally with former President Donald Trump that he became a Republican. That could be a liability during the primary season in West Virginia, which continues to grow increasingly red. The conservative anti-tax Club for Growth is seeking to elevate fiscal conservatism through its involvement in the primaries next cycle. The group announced it would go “all-in” for Mooney earlier this month. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has also endorsed Mooney.
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“My philosophy on primaries is I support the most conservative candidate who can win, and I’m interested in both pieces of that, the who can win matters,” Cruz said to the Washington Examiner in early February, reflecting on the candidate quality problems that many Republicans admit may have cost them a seat and the majority last cycle. “When I’m looking at candidates, I want to see a clear and real path to victory.”
The West Virginia Senate race will be one of the most closely watched in the country if Manchin decides to run. Manchin has held the seat since 2010, repeatedly defeating Republican opponents in what has become a deep-red state. However, Republicans see West Virginia as a prime pickup opportunity this cycle.