Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) who held considerable power within his party as a moderate, isn’t so sure about a reelection campaign, according to the latest reports.
According to the Washington Examiner, the West Virginia Democrat has reportedly changed his mind several times about whether or not to take a shot at an additional term.
His teetering, according to reports, revolves around Gov. Jim Justice (WV) and the threat he poses to Manchin’s reelection campaign.
“He doesn’t want to go out a loser,” one person close to Manchin told the outlet. “He’s paying very close attention to what Justice does.”
Not looking good
Manchin could very well go out a loser, at least if polls still mean anything.
The Examiner noted: “Polling has shown Justice with a significant advantage over Manchin in a hypothetical Senate matchup. A recent poll showed him up 52% to 42%.”
Even worse for Manchin? Justice is destroying him in the polls and hasn’t even announced yet. Justice will reportedly make a decision on his future and whether he wants to make a Senate run sometime in late February.
I predicted the coming Jim Justice victory months ago.
Manchin’s days are numbered. https://t.co/fZ1g5Ivi2g
— Cryptid Politics 🇺🇸 (@CryptidPolitics) February 15, 2023
According to Politico, Manchin is losing to Justice, but still “has big leads over Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) — the only Republican officially in the race — and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who ran against Manchin in 2018 and is mulling another bid.
.@JimJusticeWV says he’ll make an announcement “real soon” about whether he plans to challenge @Sen_JoeManchin for his Senate seat.
A win for Justice would be a major victory for Republicans as they seek to gain control of the Senate in 2024.https://t.co/8zxmPgp1WX
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 25, 2023
The future
Both Manchin and Justice are top-tier candidates, but Politico noted that Justice, a Democrat-turned-Republican, checks all the boxes for a fairly easy win.
“Justice has near-universal name ID in West Virginia, according to the poll, and would start with an early lead in a potential three-way primary among Morrisey and Mooney,” Politico wrote.
On the other hand, Manchin’s people feel confident about his ability to win.
“Senator Manchin continues to consider the best way he can serve his state and country. But make no mistake, he will win whatever race he enters,” a spokesperson for Manchin said.