Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) is calling out Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) as the congressman faces an uphill battle to win the state's United States Senate race in 2024.
Mooney, widely viewed as the underdog in the GOP primary against the popular governor, blasted Manchin and Justice as "liberals" in an interview with Politico.
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“I’m actually more likely to beat [Manchin] because I show a difference between the two," Mooney told the outlet. “I’m a conservative and Joe Manchin and Jim Justice are liberals.”
The Republican congressman also said that Manchin and Justice are "essentially the same" while theorizing that Manchin wants Justice to take the Senate seat.
“I think Manchin supports Jim Justice and wants him to take the seat,” Mooney said.
Justice announced his run for the Mountain State's Senate seat in April, while Mooney announced his bid in November 2022. Manchin has not announced whether he will run for reelection to his seat but has said that if he gets "in a race, I’m gonna win."
Mooney has little confidence that Manchin, who is widely viewed as the most vulnerable incumbent senator up for reelection in 2024, will win a Senate contest in 2024.
“Dude can’t win,” Mooney told Politico.
The Republican congressman also told the outlet he is disappointed that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has not backed him, but he vowed to stay in the race through the May primary.
“There is no scenario by which I won’t be on the ballot on May 14,” Mooney said.
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An ECU poll from May shows Justice leads Mooney in the Republican primary 53% to 12%. The same poll shows Justice leading Manchin in a head-to-head match up 54% to 32%, while Mooney narrowly leads Manchin 41% to 40%.
Manchin has also not ruled out running for president in 2024, likely on a third-party ticket sponsored by the centrist group No Labels. The West Virginia Democrat has said he will make a decision about running for reelection to the Senate, or any other office, by the end of this year.