Jim Justice wins — putting the GOP within reach of the Senate

Topline

The Associated Press on Tuesday called for Republican Jim Justice in West Virginia's Senate race to replace outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, who is competing with Democrats – putting the chamber just one seat away from a clear GOP majority.

Important facts

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What you should pay attention to

According to some forecasts, Republicans are likely to take control of the Senate, eliminating Democrats' 51-49 majority in the chamber. Control of the chamber could be handed to two red states with incumbent Democrats. In Montana, incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is eight points behind Republican nominee and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, according to a New York Times/Siena poll, while Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's race against Republican nominee Bernie Moreno is razor-thin is. Democrats are also defending their seats in tight races in Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, most of the seats held by Republicans are considered safer, leaving Democrats with few opportunities to pick up new seats, although the race for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is fairly close.

tangent

Trump won West Virginia in 2016 and 2020 and is expected to win the state again this year.

Surprising fact

Justice, an heir to a coal company founded by his father, had an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion as of 2019. Justice lost his billionaire status in 2021 after it was revealed that he and his family had to pay back $850 million to financial services firm Greensill Capital for loans worth $2.5 million intended for environmental and legal liabilities taken on by his coal company .

Important background

Justice served as governor of West Virginia for seven years and won this year's Republican primary for the state's Senate seat by a wide margin, defeating Rep. Alex Mooney and securing nearly 62% of the vote (138,307 votes). Justice campaigned as a popular governor, championing concerns about inflation, border security and the energy sector. He championed West Virginia's most important coal resource and the state's role as the fifth largest energy producer in the United States

Further reading

2024 Senate elections: Here are the key battlegrounds — as the GOP appears on track to take control (Forbes)

Fundraising battle between House and Senate: Democrats narrowly outperform GOP in battle for Congress (Forbes)