The West Virginia Senate Republican primary looks set to be a battle royale between Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney, with diverging wings of the party vying for the best candidate to challenge Sen. Joe Manchin in 2024 (assuming the vulnerable Democrat runs again).
Justice hasn’t made an official announcement of his candidacy yet, but Republicans in both Washington. and West Virginia fully expect him to run, perhaps announcing by the end of the month. If he does, Justice would likely get the support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and the Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund (SLF). Mooney got the endorsement of the influential anti-tax Club for Growth last week, after Attorney General Patrick Morrisey decided not to seek a rematch with Manchin and run for governor instead.
The Mountaineer State would represent an early test for the NRSC and McConnell as they look to reverse the mistakes of 2022 and line up behind strong candidates from the get-go. After trying and failing to woo several governors into running for the Senate last cycle, it
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