Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) and his beloved “Baby Dog” are heading to Washington, DC, as he has won West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, marking the first Senate seat pickup for Republicans of the evening.
The Associated Press projected Justice, who squared off with Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliot (D), as the winner right as polls closed at 7:30 PM ET when none of the vote totals had been reported.
Justice will take outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin’s (I-WV) seat, a former Democrat who caucuses with his old party. Republicans hope to build on this momentum in a number of races in their quest for a majority.
A Democrat has not won a statewide race in West Virginia since Manchin’s last reelection victory in 2018.
Justice has served as governor for two terms and was first elected as a Democrat in 2016. During a Trump rally in 2017, Justice announced he was defecting from the Democrat Party to become a Republican. In 2020, he cruised to reelection by a 33-point margin.
Justice was widely expected to win this race coming into election night, and flipping Manchin’s seat is the foundation for the road to a Senate majority for the GOP.
If Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) win reelection, this Justice victory puts Republicans at 50 seats, with opportunities to take a majority through other vital races throughout the night.
Montana marks the next best pickup target for Republicans as the GOP’s Tim Sheehy looks to unseat Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT). Republicans are also competitive for Democrat Senate seats in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada, which are worth watching very closely the rest of the evening.
In addition to Justice, the Associated Press projects former President Donald Trump has won West Virginia and its four electoral votes. At the same time, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) is the projected winner of the governor’s race to succeed Justice.
