West Virginia Rep. Alex Mooney, fresh off winning a hotly contested Republican primary, is already targeting Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) as he mulls running for Senate in 2024.
Driving the news: Mooney will go up with a new ad Monday blasting Manchin for his support of the climate change and health care spending package.
- “Suddenly, Joe Manchin is backing Joe Biden’s liberal agenda,” the ad begins. “Manchin is supporting legislation that would raise our taxes, tax our coal industry and devastate West Virginia communities.”
- A Mooney senior strategist tells Axios: “Mooney is running for re-election now, but this only helps 2024 considerations.”
The big picture: West Virginia is one of the most Republican states in the country, and will be a very tempting pickup opportunity for Republicans in 2024.
- Manchin remains very popular. But Republicans believe his political standing will take a hit after supporting climate legislation.
