GOP Congressman Announces Bid For Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin’s Seat, ‘I Think I’ll Defeat Him’

Republican Rep. Alex Mooney of West Virginia announced on Tuesday that he will run for U.S. Senate for the seat currently occupied by Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin.

The election for the Senate seat takes place in 2024.

.@RepAlexMooney announces that he will be running for the U.S. Senate in 2024. What was his reasoning behind making this announcement? He joins @HoppyKercheval. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nm85Y pic.twitter.com/3BRv3g76yn

— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) November 15, 2022

Manchin has been in the U.S. Senate for over a decade and hasn’t made a “complete decision” about whether he will seek reelection in 2024.

From Fox News:

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is wishing his potential Republican challengers the best even as he says he hasn’t made up his mind about whether he will seek re-election to the Senate in 2024.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Manchin invited voters to get involved in the 2024 Senate race and predicted there will be a “very exciting, crowded primary on the Republican side” after Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., became the first Republican to toss his hat in the ring.

“We’ll just see how it goes. But, you know, I always wish everyone the best,” Manchin said.

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Manchin, a moderate Democrat representing West Virginia – a state former President Trump won by 39 points in 2020 – is viewed as one of the most vulnerable incumbent lawmakers in 2024. He won re-election to his second full term in 2018 by a margin of only 3% and next time may face a primary challenge from his left.

He has repeatedly frustrated progressives by acting as a swing vote in the Senate, upsetting major pieces of President Biden’s agenda by opposing certain spending and refusing to vote with other Democrats to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster threshold to pass bills in the Senate.

The Blaze added:

Mooney, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2015, just won another term in office during the 2022 midterms — he will likely face competition during the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate seat.

“I think I’ll defeat him,” Mooney said, referring to Manchin during an interview with the Associated Press. “Obviously, he’s been around for a long time, met a lot of people, has a lot of money,” Mooney said, according to the outlet, which reported that the lawmaker pointed out that by announcing early, he will have additional time to fundraise. “I just want to make my intentions known to anybody, including Joe Manchin himself.”

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Mooney in 2021 ahead of the 2022 Republican primary contest in which Mooney defeated fellow GOP Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia. Mooney, who announced his Senate bid during an interview on MetroNews’ “Talkline,” noted that he would like to meet with Trump and seek the former president’s support again.