Manchin voices confidence he can beat Justice in 2024: ‘I will win any race I enter’
Cami Mondeaux
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is tight-lipped about whether he will run for reelection in 2024, but he made one thing clear on Thursday: The entrance of Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) into the race isn’t scaring him off.
Manchin is considered to be one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents, representing a state that former President Donald Trump carried by 39 points in 2020. The seat is crucial for Democrats to defend if they want to hold on to their slim majority in the Senate, but Manchin is not planning to announce until the end of the year.
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The entrance of Justice into the West Virginia Senate race on Thursday nonetheless prompted a defiant statement from Manchin.
“I am laser-focused on doing the job West Virginians elected me to do — lowering healthcare costs, protecting Social Security and Medicare, shoring up American energy security, and getting our fiscal house in order,” Manchin said. “But make no mistake, I will win any race I enter.”
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Manchin’s comments come just hours after Justice filed his statement of candidacy, making him the second Republican to enter the fray for the crucial Senate seat. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) announced a bid late last year.
Manchin has remained coy about his future plans, even leaving the door open to a run for the White House, perhaps as an independent. Should he choose to challenge President Joe Biden, he would enter a growing field of candidates. On the Democratic side, that includes long shots Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.