Jim Justice Wins West Virginia Senate To Replace Joe Manchin

Republican Gov. Jim Justice has won the West Virginia Senate race, defeating former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott (D) and accomplishing a long-sought GOP goal in the Appalachian state: total control of its federal offices.

Flipping the Mountain State seat marks a key victory for Republicans in their quest to wrest back control of the U.S. Senate. They need to win only one more seat out of a handful of competitive races across the country to gain a majority in the upper chamber.

Justice, 73, is a former billionaire coal executive who was elected governor in 2016 after switching parties and endorsing Donald Trump. He’s held high approval marks in the ruby-red state thanks in part to his folksy demeanor, handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Babydog, a 62-pound English bulldog that never leaves his side.

Addressing the Republican National Convention earlier this summer, Justice praised Trump as “an incredible man.”

“He genuinely cares. He cares about all of us. Every last one of us. And he loves this nation beyond good sense,” the governor said in Milwaukee with Babydog seated onstage next to him.

Justice has struggled with business debts and attendance issues during his time in office. Some Republicans expressed concerns about his health, including his ability to walk or stand for long periods of time. The latter issue could pose a problem for Republicans in the Senate if they win a narrow majority and require full attendance to vote on controversial judicial nominees or legislation.

Republicans dodged a potential setback late last year when Trump endorsed Justice over his conservative primary challenger, West Virginia Rep. Alex Mooney, avoiding a bruising brawl for the nomination. But it was incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin’s decision to retire that sealed the fate of the race in a state Trump won overwhelmingly in the 2020 presidential election, dealing a huge blow to Democrats’ odds of winning the Senate majority next year.

Manchin, who left the Democratic Party earlier this year and registered as an independent, was appointed to the Senate in 2010 to replace the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D) and went on to win reelection twice on the strength of his moderate brand. Though he often voted with Democrats, including on judicial nominations, he was a regular thorn in the side of President Joe Biden’s expansive domestic agenda, blocking many of his ambitious proposals.

Announcing his retirement last year, Manchin said he believed “in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia.” He later flirted with running for president on a third-party ticket but ruled it out.

With Manchin out of the race, Justice felt confident enough about his chances that he did little campaigning and refused to debate his Democratic opponent, telling reporters he was too busy serving as governor.

“The people of this state know me. They know me, and they know me really well. I have done almost zero campaigning,” Justice said.

All Elliott could do is shake his head.

“One of the frustrating parts of the campaign is all the problems the governor has, for whatever reason, does not seem to be sinking in with your average voter,” Elliott told The Associated Press.

See full results from the West Virginia Senate election here.