Sources close to Senator Joe Manchin, a mainstay of Democratic politics in West Virginia, say he is being encouraged to run for governor.
Two sources confirmed that the outreach comes from Republicans who oppose the GOP nominee for governor, Patrick Morrisey. One source said at least 20 Republicans with financial resources have reached out to Manchin, who was governor from 2005 to 2010.
“Many Republicans who believe Manchin did a good job as governor previously are encouraging him to run again,” one of the sources said.
Manchin has made no decision, but also he has not dissuaded the conversations. The frequent swing vote in the U.S. Senate decided he would not run for re-election to that seat and then spent time considering whether he would run on a third-party ticket for president before deciding against that too.
The only Democratic candidate in last week’s primary election was Huntington Mayor Steve Williams. So at this point, Williams would face Morrisey in the general election.
On Monday evening, Manchin commented to national reporters who asked him about the scenario. “Steve’s our guy,” he said. But “if something’s come up that I don’t know about, we’ll find out.”
The state Republican Party provided a statement indicating full support for Morrisey’s campaign against the Democratic nominee.
“The WVGOP is united squarely behind Patrick Morrisey for Governor. West Virginians are excited to continue our Republican victory streak by electing him as our conservative voice in the Governor’s mansion this November!” stated Matt Herridge, WVGOP chairman.
The National Republican Governor’s Association also provided comment expressing support for Morrisey.
“Republican voters spoke loud and clear in selecting Patrick Morrisey as the nominee and next governor of West Virginia. There is only one conservative candidate on the ballot who will stand up to the Biden Administration’s disastrous agenda and deliver results for West Virginia families and no amount of wish-casting by anonymous sources will change that,” said Courtney Alexander, national press secretary for the Republican Governors Association.
Fundraising and statewide name recognition will be challenges for Williams between now and the November election. The most recent filings with the West Virginia secretary of state show the Williams campaign with $30,418 cash on hand. Morrisey’s campaign had $685,276 on hand at the conclusion of the most recent filing period.
One scenario being contemplated is to wait a few weeks and take a poll to see how Williams is faring in the race. If Williams is not doing well then it could open an opportunity for Williams to step aside and Manchin to run. At this stage, none of this has been discussed with Williams.
Williams, in a telephone interview today, was aware of the talk, but he characterized it as an unlikely scenario.
“Joe Manchin has not given me any indication that there has been any conversation along those lines. Secondly, he contributed to my campaign in the primary. He is committed to contributing to my campaign in the general, and we have had several conversations since election day,” Williams said.
“Unless Joe Manchin is the most duplicitous person on the face of the earth, which I don’t believe he is because he’s been a friend for over 40 years now, I don’t see that these rumors have any legs.”
Asked about the scenario on Friday’s MetroNews’ “Talkline,” state Democratic Party spokesman Mike Plante described the possibility as a longshot.
“If that isn’t bad news for Patrick Morrisey, I don’t know what is — the fact that leading Republicans with deep wallets are looking at these kind of contingency plans,” Plante said.
Plante continued, “I think this is wishful thinking on the part of some Republicans who are deeply and bitterly opposed to Patrick Morrisey.”
Morrisey, a three-term attorney general, lost to Manchin by three percentage points in the 2018 race for U.S. Senate.
Morrisey was in a competitive four-way race for governor. He won with a plurality, 33% of the vote — coming in ahead of former House Judiciary Chairman Moore Capito’s 28%, Huntington businessman Chris Miller’s 20% and Secretary of State Mac Warner’s 16 percent.
Morrisey’s campaign, reached today, pointed toward a recent social media post by Morrisey that described a sense of unity in the party. The post said he had “good conversations with Moore Capito, Chris Miller, Mac Warner, the Governor, our Board of Public Works Candidates, and many others.”
“My opponents and the BOPW nominees were quite gracious. It’s now clear we will all pursue our common goal of electing Republicans in November and advancing conservative values,” Morrisey wrote.
Morrisey’s campaign during the primary race frequently said he is “not a product of political royalty” and that “the media and political elites are against me.” Capito is the son of Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Miller is the son of Congresswoman Carol Miller and Warner’s brothers have been active in government and GOP politics.
Asked for her reaction to Morrisey’s win during a briefing last week, Capito spent some time talking about her son’s loss and then described her excitement that incumbent Gov. Jim Justice had won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, where he is heavily favored in the general election.
Capito did not mention Morrisey’s name in her response and said, “I am the leader of the Republican Party and will be supporting the Republican ticket, so let’s just see what happens in November.”
Governor Justice had endorsed Moore Capito for governor, saying he could continue the trajectory of the current administration. Asked last week on “Talkline” about Morrisey’s victory, Justice said he would support him.
“Patrick and I are friends. You know, I absolutely wanted Moore to get across the finish line. But Patrick’s the man across the finish line. I’ll support him 100 percent. I think the world of him and Denise. They’re good people, and I just want good stuff for ’em. We move on, you know.”