CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) endorsed businessman Jim Justice Wednesday for the Democratic nomination for governor.
“There’s one person in my mind who has not only had the vision, created thousands of jobs, saved thousands of jobs in a very challenging time and that’s Jim Justice,” Manchin said on Wednesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
Justice, the owner of the Greenbrier Resort, has stressed putting people back to work in order to create a better future for West Virginia.
Earlier this month, officials in Tazwell County, Va. seized more than $850,000 worth of coal mining equipment at the Black River Coal mine near Bandy, Va. after Justice was accused of failing to pay property taxes there. The taxes were due at the end of 2015, but county officials said there was no response to the January notice.
Manchin said he wouldn’t defend or explain the continuing stories about Justice’s nonpayment of bills, but that he would only “speak from his experience.”
“I can only tell you what I’ve seen happen,” he said. “I watched him save thousands of jobs, literally thousands of jobs, and he paid more than he had to pay. He have benefits back that were already lost.”
Justice has received several high-profile endorsements including the United Mine Workers Association, the West Virginia Education Association, the largest employee union at the Greenbrier and former West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton.
“When everybody else was shutting the mine down, Jim goes down, buys a mine and he’s trying to clean up the mess that the mine ha. He had bought it from the previous owners and he put union miners back to work at good paying jobs,” Manchin said. “That’s the reality.”
Justice is running against two other Democratic candidates including former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and state Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall, 02).
Primary Election Day in West Virginia is May 10.