West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) has won the GOP nomination for the state’s Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Decision Desk HQ projects, likely setting him up to be its next senator.
Justice was the front-runner to win the nomination and is viewed as the favorite for the general election in the solidly red state. He had the backing of former President Trump along with top Republican leaders like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and West Virginia’s other senator, Shelley Moore Capito (R).
He fended off opposition from several other candidates, most notably Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.). Justice regularly led Mooney in polling for months by double digits.
Mooney tried to run to Justice’s right and depict the governor, who was a Democrat until he switched parties in 2017, as a “RINO,” an acronym meaning “Republican in Name Only.” He attracted support from members of the more conservative wing of the GOP, including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Mike Lee (Utah), Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), and conservative organizations like Club for Growth.
But it was ultimately not enough to stop Justice from securing the nomination after building up wide support within the party.
