In a 30-second video ad released Friday, Manchin said: “Alex Mooney has proven to be all about Alex Mooney. But West Virginians know that David McKinley is everything to us.”
McKinley and Mooney face Republican primary elections on May 10 for West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District after the state lost its seat in a relocation after the 2020 census.
In the ad, Manchin accuses Mooney and his “out-of-state supporters” of suggesting that McKinley backed Biden’s large-scale Build Back Better plan, saying it was an “outright lie.” “David McKinley has always opposed reckless spending because it doesn’t make sense for West Virginia,” said Manchin, who also did not support the president’s plan for climate and social spending.
McKinley’s campaign posted the video on the GOP WinRed fundraising platform, writing: “Joe Manchin knows I’ve always struggled with extravagant spending and opposed liberal policies that don’t work for West Virginians.
CNN turned to McKinley’s campaign for comment.
Asked if Manchin supported McKinley, Senator’s spokesman Sam Runnon told CNN that “the ad speaks for itself.”
Mooney shared the ad on Twitter on Saturday, writing: “Another proof that David McKinley is a complete and total RINO. Democrat Joe Manchin supports him.
Mooney surpassed McKinley in that cycle, raising $ 3.7 million against his opponent’s $ 2 million by April 20, according to their preliminary requests to the Federal Election Commission.
The winner will be the overwhelming favorite in the general election for the 2nd Congressional District, which covers the northern half of the state and would support Trump with 37 points in 2020.
Manchin, who is not running for re-election until 2024, is the only Democrat to represent the mountain state in Congress. He has a history of approval from the other side. Last year, he chose to support the candidacy of Alaska GOP senator Lisa Mrkowski for re-election in 2022, and he backed Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins in 2020. The West Virginia GOP race is just one of several against members of the primary elections this year due to redirection. Later this month, Georgia Democrats Carolyn Bourdain and Lucy Macbeth will face a seat in the Atlanta suburbs. Illinois is hosting two such primary elections in June: Democrats Sean Kasten and Marie Newman are vying for a seat on the outskirts of Chicago, while Republicans Rodney Davis and Mary Miller are vying for a redesigned neighborhood of central Illinois. And in Michigan, Democrats Andy Levin and Hailey Stevens are looking for the same place on the outskirts of Detroit.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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