Mountain pressure: Manchin 24 points behind GOP rival in poll ahead of 2024
Jack Birle
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is set for a tough reelection bid in 2024, with one of the top possible candidates far ahead of him in statewide approval ratings.
Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) has an approval rating of 64%, while Manchin’s approval rating is 40%, per Morning Consult.
JOE MANCHIN RIVAL JIM JUSTICE WILL DECIDE ON WEST VIRGINIA SENATE BID THIS MONTH
The polls, which were conducted from Oct. 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, among registered voters, showed Justice with only a 31% disapproval rating, while Manchin had a 53% disapproval rating. They have shot back into the spotlight as Justice, who is term-limited, has teased a run for Senate.
Justice told CBS News last week that he will make a decision by the end of the month. The popular governor was elected in 2016 as a Democrat but switched party affiliation to Republican months into his first term. He was reelected as a Republican in 2020.
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Manchin and fellow centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) are both up for reelection in 2024 and have both been instrumental in stopping some of President Joe Biden‘s more liberal agenda items. Manchin was active in the negotiations of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was a smaller version of Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda.
Manchin has not announced whether he will seek another term but is one of several Democratic senators facing difficult reelection bids in Republican-leaning states in 2024. Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are also expected to face fierce challenges from GOP candidates — in an election cycle in which Democrats will be on the defense in Senate races in swing states.