Big Trouble for Sen. Joe Manchin

(DCWatchdog.com) – It appears Democrat US Senator Joe Manchin will lose his seat in a contest with his state’s GOP Governor, Jim Justice, who has announced his senatorial candidacy.

The East Carolina University (ECU) public opinion survey discovered that Justice was 22 points ahead of Manchin in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup for the latter’s seat in the US Senate.

Justice is nearing his second term as West Virginia’s governor. He was first elected as a Democrat in 2016 before switching back to the GOP during a 2020 rally alongside then-President Donald Trump.

Justice announced he would run for the Senate in April, while Manchin has yet to announce a reelection campaign.

Manchin, who also served as his state’s governor in the second half of the 2000s, has been a US senator since 2010. He is the most significant internal opposition to the Biden administration, especially with the razor-thin Democrat majority in the past Congress.

According to the new poll, Manchin has the approval of 33% of West Virginia’s registered voters, including 51% of Democrats, 22% of Republicans, and 37% of independents, The Daily Caller reports.

Justice’s approval rating is 57%, including 52% of Democrats, 70% of Republicans, and 39% of independents.

The governor is challenged in the GOP senatorial primary by Republican US Rep. Alex Mooney, but Justice enjoys a 41-point lead, as per the ECU poll.

At the same time, in a potential senatorial matchup with Manchin, Mooney has a 1-point lead, at 41% to 40%.

A previous poll by Co/Efficient in West Virginia found Justice would defeat Manchin 43% to 29% in the general election. It also projected that Manchin would beat Mooney by 6 points.

The earlier survey also discovered the governor would win the GOP primary over Mooney by 28%.

According to the ECU poll, former President Donald Trump enjoys 54% support in West Virginia, while none of the other bidders for the GOP presidential nomination gathered double-digit support. Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, came in second with 9% approval.