CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Joe Manchin will be returning to the U.S. Senate.
ABC, CNN and Fox all called the competitive U.S. Senate race for Manchin a little after 9 p.m. MetroNews also called the race for Manchin after looking at exit polling as well as results around the state.
Manchin was hoarse as he declared victory.
“You made history tonight. West Virginia made history tonight,” he said, noting that popular President Trump had weighed in against his campaign.
In his victory speech, Manchin singled out senior citizens, those in need of health care coverage and veterans as those worth fighting for. He also praised West Virginia teachers who supported his campaign.
“West Virginia stood tall tonight,” Manchin told the crowd, “and said, ‘Mr. President, we want our senator, not your senator.'”
Manchin’s headquarters was celebratory, shouting “Joe, Joe, Joe.”
Really low key at the Manchin campaign celebration. Can barely tell he even won. pic.twitter.com/XbJihZNNg6
— Alex Thomas (@AlexHouseThomas) November 7, 2018
“It’s a great evening. It’s a great day in West Virginia,” said Larry Puccio, the Manchin campaign manager, who spoke live with MetroNews.
National forecasts months ago considered the race in doubt because West Virginia has trended Republican during recent elections.
“Joe Manchin. Joe Manchin is the advantage,” Puccio said. “Joe Manchin is the brand.”
The race pit incumbent Manchin, a Democrat, against Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican.
It drew national attention as a battleground race, key to the balance of the U.S. Senate. Manchin was widely considered to be one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the U.S. Senate.
Manchin has a long electoral history in West Virginia, having served as secretary of state, governor and senator.
Morrisey has twice won statewide election as Attorney General.
During remarks at his campaign headquarters in Charles Town, Morrisey vowed to keep fighting in his role as Attorney General.
“Tonight we may have fallen a little bit short in our battle in this U.S. Senate race,” said Morrisey, who added that he had called Manchin to congratulate him.
The race appeared to be tightening in the final week, with the MetroNews Dominion Post West Virginia Poll showing a margin of about five points.
Morrisey also was the beneficiary of repeat visits by President Donald Trump, with the most recent on Friday. West Virginia continues to give Trump the highest approval of any state in the country.
But national Republican support for Morrisey only went so far. Late last week, the Senate Leadership Fund dramatically scaled back its spending in support of Morrisey in West Virginia.
Throughout the campaign, advertisements focusing on Manchin and Morrisey saturated the airwaves.
Morrisey aligned himself with President Trump and attempted to tie Manchin to former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
He characterized Manchin as a “dishonest Washington liberal.”
Manchin’s campaign played off Morrisey’s upbringing in New Jersey, as well as his work history as a Washington lobbyist and Capitol Hill staffer.
Moreover, much of the advertising focused on Morrisey’s connections to the pharmaceutical industry, which is blamed for the spread of pain pills across the region, contributing to the opioid crisis.