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U.S. Senate Republican leadership to raise money for Justice

Gov. Jim Justice is traveling to Washington, D.C., Wednesday for a fundraiser for his U.S. Senate campaign hosted by Senate Republican leadership. (File Photo)

CHARLESTON — Top Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate are placing their support behind Gov. Jim Justice in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate in 2024.

Senate Republican leaders will host a fundraiser Wednesday in Washington for Justice as he campaigns in a four-way Republican primary to seek the seat held by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

Hosts listed on the fundraiser invitation include U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., Republican Policy Committee Chairwoman Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Republican Conference Vice Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines, R-Mont.

The fundraiser is taking place at the offices of the NRSC at 425 Second St. NE in Washington.

“Leaders in Washington see Governor Justice’s accomplishments and results in West Virginia and the overwhelming support West Virginians have for him,” said Roman Stauffer, campaign manager for Jim Justice for U.S. Senate. “Yes, conservatives in Washington and across the country support him and are rallying around him because they know he gets things done, will work hard to find solutions for the people of West Virginia, and is the strongest candidate to win the U.S. Senate race.”

The NRSC and the Senate Leadership Fund — McConnell’s PAC arm — spent months recruiting Justice as a U.S. Senate candidate, formally announcing his campaign at the end of April. Both Capito and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., were in attendance at Justice’s announcement, introducing the Governor as he took the stage.

Justice, once West Virginia’s richest man and a billionaire, has self-funded his campaigns in the past, still owing more than $2.6 million in outstanding loans from his 2020 re-election as governor according to his most recent campaign finance filing with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. Justice has said he does not plan to rely on self-funding his Senate race.

Justice entered the Forbes 400 billionaires list after 2009, at one point jumping to $1.7 billion in worth. But after 2021, Forbes lowered Justice’s worth to approximately $450 million following issues with the now-defunct financial firm Greensill Capital and other debts. According to a Forbes feature piece last week, Marshall University President and former Intuit CEO Brad Smith is now the state’s richest person with worth more than $700 million.

The end of June marks the end of the July quarterly campaign finance report filing period covering the beginning of April through June 30. Justice faces three other Republican candidates: former coal miner Chris Rose; frequent candidate Zane Lawhorn; and U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., who spent the weekend campaigning door-to-door in Mercer, Raleigh, Mingo, Logan, and Boone counties.

Mooney has received the endorsements of Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Mike Lee, R-Utah. He has also been endorsed by the Conservative Political Action Conference, the Senate Conservatives Fund created by former South Carolina U.S. Senator and former Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint, and conservative advocacy group the Club for Growth.

The Club for Growth pledged $10 million for Mooney, whom it supported for Congress in 2022.

“Jim Justice is already one of the all-time worst recruits by the GOP Establishment,” said John Findlay, campaign manager for Mooney. “Ever since the national spotlight touched Justice, there has been one embarrassing scandal after another. Jim Justice is corrupt, compromised and not ready for prime time.”

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.

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