West Virginia AG Morrisey ‘seriously considering’ 2024 Senate run, posing threat to Manchin

EXCLUSIVE: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says he is “seriously evaluating” a run for governor or launching a second bid for the Senate in 2024, posing a potential threat to incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Morrisey, who lost his 2018 Senate bid to Manchin by less than 20,000 votes, touted his conservative record as the state’s top law enforcement officer. mountain and suggested that if he were to run for the Senate again it would be a “very, very smooth transition” because of the work he’s already doing.

In a letter Tuesday to supporters titled “Big News Coming,” Morrisey, who has represented the state as attorney general since 2013, wrote, “I’m ready for these new fights, and probably a new position in 2025, because I’m already leading in the arena and regularly going over Biden’s agenda.”

The letter came the same day West Virginia Republican Rep. Alex Mooney announced he will run as a Republican in the 2024 state election against Manchin.

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West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says he is “seriously evaluating” a run for governor or launching a second bid for the Senate in 2024.
(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

“I wanted to alert many of my followers that I am going through a process. I am seriously evaluating a run for the US Senate and for governor,” Morrisey told Fox News Digital. “We’re going to take our time, we’re going to listen to the people, and we’re going to do it the right way … We have the strongest record of conservative accomplishments of any potential candidate in West Virginia, and I feel good about that. I just wanted to make sure that many of our followers to be reminded of this fact after the elections”.

Morrisey said he is not prepared to “go back and forth against any particular candidate or person” but insisted he is “very proud” of his record and claimed he would “oppose anyone who could come against us.”

Asked what would make him a better candidate if he chooses to challenge Manchin for a second term, Morrisey said, “I think the Biden administration’s threats against our freedoms are fundamental things to our state and our nation, and I’m in the front going against them, fighting against them right now.

“If I were to go to the United States Senate, we would be ready on day one to take on the culture of awakening, to lead against the Green New Deal, to make sure we’re keeping deadly fentanyl out of our communities.” added. “These are the things I’m doing now, and it would be a very, very smooth transition to move these initiatives forward outside the United States Senate.”

Morrisey, during an interview Wednesday with Fox News Digital, touted his team’s record of “fighting and winning big things” and concluded that he doesn’t think there are “a lot of people in the country that have that record.”
(Maddie McGarvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Morrisey touted his team’s record of “fighting and winning big things” and concluded that he doesn’t think there are “many people in the country who have that record.”

“One (thing) you learn after going through this in the past is when you come in, you’re ready to run and win, and we want to make sure we have the support we need,” Morrisey said. “By all indications, we have as deep a breadth of support as it’s going to get in West Virginia.”

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For now, Morrisey said he has no timetable for when he will announce his decision, saying he will continue to “evaluate options” and “continue to do the really good job of taking on the Biden administration and protecting our freedoms.” “

Other Republicans are also eyeing a challenge to Manchin in 2024, including Mooney, who said during a radio interview Tuesday that he wants to “be part of the solution” to the problems facing Americans.

Asked about GOP challengers in 2024, Sen. Joe Manchin said Tuesday: “We’ll just see how it goes. But, you know, I always wish the best for everybody.”
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“West Virginia values ​​are at risk in this country. We’re bankrupting the United States. I want to be part of the solution there,” Mooney said. “It’s been talked about a lot, but I’m going to announce it. I’m announcing it right now that I’m running for the United States Senate. I’m ready.”

Asked about GOP challengers in 2024, Manchin said Tuesday: “We’ll just see how it goes. But, you know, I always wish the best for everybody.”

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Manchin faced his toughest challenge in 2018, when he won by just 3 percent, and could face a tight challenge from GOP candidates as West Virginia turns increasingly Republican. Manchin, a moderate Democrat who has rejected several proposals from the Biden administration, has faced criticism within his party as a 50-50 swing vote in the Senate the past two years.

Manchin drew national attention when he announced his opposition Biden’s plan to rebuild better, which needed his vote to pass the Senate. He continued negotiations with the White House as the bill evolved into the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed with his vote.

Patrick Hauf of Fox News contributed to this article.