Republican Jim Justice is ousting his U.S. Senate seat from West Virginia after Manchin retires

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Jim Justice won a U.S. Senate race in West Virginia on Tuesday, handing a seat to the Republican Party to Joe Manchin decided not to stand for re-election.

Justice, who had boldly predicted victory long before the election, defeated Democrat Glenn Elliott, a lawyer and former mayor of the city of Wheeling was supported by Manchin.

The 73-year-old judge, who is finishing his second term as governor, continued to capitalize on former President Donald Trump's popularity in ruby-colored West Virginia. Trump won the state's presidential race by 42 percentage points in 2016 and 39 points in 2020. Justice was elected governor in 2016 as a Democrat, then switched to the GOP seven months after taking office. Taking the stage with Trump at an event make the announcement.

A former billionaire, Justice and his family own dozens of businesses, including the posh Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. Justice spent much time as governor Addressing legal challenges that required late payments and fines for his private dealings.

This is the first time since 1958 that both of West Virginia's U.S. Senators are Republicans. The other is Shelley Moore Capito, who was elected to a second term in 2020.

More than a month before the election, Justice declared himself the winner and said he saw no reason to debate Elliott. Justice pointed out that he easily won his primary against U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney despite not posting any campaign signs.

While Elliott toured all 55 counties this summer, Justice made few campaign stops and instead made economic development announcements in his capacity as governor. brings his pet English bulldogBaby dog. Justice also waded into political conversations during his weekly online media briefings, frequently criticizing President Joe Biden's policies.

The judiciary constantly fended off questions about how his business was handled. A debt collection company threatened with an auction The Greenbrier Resort Hotel unless payments have been made on a defaulted loan. And the family was left with at least $2.4 million in missing health insurance premiums for about 400 hotel workers.

The 710-room Greenbrier Hotel has hosted meetings of U.S. presidents, royals and Congress. A PGA Tour golf tournament was held there from 2010 to 2019 has welcomed NFL teams for training camps and exercises. A once-secret 10,080-square-foot underground bunker built for Congress at the Greenbrier in the event of a nuclear attack during the Cold War now offers tours.

In addition, the judiciary was accused of having paid millions too late other business loans and court penalties for unsafe working conditions in its coal mines.

Some financial problems date back to before Justice became governor. In 2016 he has Back taxes amounting to millions to some of Appalachia's poorest counties, including one in Kentucky, which struggled to pay off debt for a new recreation center, turned off lights in its parks and reduced hot meals for seniors.

In 2021, Justice ended a long-running court challenge from a former lawmaker about his residency by agreeing to live at the seat of state government in Charleston. The lawsuit was filed after bipartisan criticism that Justice lived 100 miles (160 kilometers) away in Lewisburg, near his White Sulfur Springs resort.

Manchin, who has been in office since 2010, decided not to run again a year ago switched from Democrat to Independent Earlier this year. Before switching parties, Manchin was the only Democrat to hold statewide office.

Elliott, 52, once worked as a legislative assistant the late U.S. Senator Robert Byrd. Manchin praised Elliott's performance as mayor in creating jobs, reducing crime rates and revitalizing the downtown area of ​​the city of about 26,000 people along the Ohio River in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.