Gov. Jim Justice today said he’s seriously considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2024.
That’s the seat currently occupied by Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat who has sometimes supported Justice and sometimes fussed with him.
Justice said he still needs to think seriously and consult with his family, but his phrasing today was the strongest yet to indicate he’s considering a run.
“Absolutely, without any question, I’m really thinking very hard about it. I’m very seriously considering running for Senate. I have not made a final decision yet,” Justice said in response to a question by reporter Charles Young of West Virginia News. “But I promise you irregardless to whatever I do, I’ll be your governor the next two years.”
Justice, a Republican, is term-limited after his second term as governor concludes. When he has been asked in recent weeks about continuing political participation, he has acknowledged consideration. But he went a little farther today.
“I truly believe the people of West Virginia will be right with me with whatever decision I make,” Justice said today. “That being said, a lot of thinking and planning and discussion ongoing with my family and lots of folks. But serious, serious consideration. You’ll know real soon.”
Justice, owner of The Greenbrier Resort and a sprawling network of coal companies, won a race for governor in 2016 as a Democrat with the support of Manchin and his longtime allies.
Justice changed his political affiliation to Republican just a few months into his first term while appearing on stage at a Donald Trump rally. Manchin, a former governor himself, flirted with the idea of running in 2020 for as the state’s chief executive against Justice but decided against it in the end.
In between, Justice and Manchin sometimes feuded, with the senator questioning the governor’s work habits and use of federal covid funds. More recently, that relationship seems to have settled.
West Virginia’s political climate has continued to trend Republican, making Manchin’s Senate seat one of the most watched in the country in 2024. Fifty-one percent of West Virginia voters express disapproval of Manchin, according to surveying by the national Morning Consult. Yet Manchin has major name recognition in the state, a long electoral track record and an unparalleled reputation for retail politics.
Justice was the sixth most popular governor in the country in the assessment of state residents, according to Morning Consult surveying that ended Sept. 30. Sixty-five percent of West Virginia voters indicated approval of Justice, according to the poll.
If Justice decides to run for Senate, he wouldn’t be alone in the race.
Congressman Alex Mooney, another Republican, announced last week he plans to run for Senate. “I’m all in,” Mooney said.
Justice and Mooney also have a strained — or perhaps nonexistent — relationship. Justice endorsed incumbent Congressman David McKinley in a primary against Mooney last fall in a matchup that occurred because West Virginia had to consolidate its congressional districts following population loss.
While assessing Mooney at the time, Justice said he barely knows him. In endorsing McKinley, the governor noted, “In fact, his opponent has only met with me one time since I became governor.”
Last month, the theme reemerged after Mooney endorsed a state constitutional amendment on personal property taxes that the governor vehemently opposed. Justice criticized Mooney’s reputation as a former Maryland official who moved to West Virginia shortly before running for Congress in 2014.
“From the standpoint of Congressman Mooney, I honestly don’t know and I’m not throwing any rocks at Congressman Mooney, but I’ve been here for six years, but I’ve seen Congressman Mooney one time, one time in six years. Really and truly, does Congressman Mooney even know West Virginia exists?”
Until today, Justice had just vaguely described his own political future.
“I do love the people of West Virginia, and I am looking really, really, really hard at some kind of national office,” Justice said a couple of weeks ago on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”
“Who knows.”