McKinley and Mooney face off in the May 10 Republican primary in the West Virginia Congressional District after the state lost a seat in the restructuring after the 2020 census. In the ad, Manchin accused Mooney and his “out-of-state” supporters of suggesting that McKinley backed Biden’s Build Back Better sweeping plan, saying it was an “absolute lie.” “It makes sense for West Virginia,” said Manchin, who also did not support the president’s climate and social spending plan. McKinley’s campaign posted the video on GOP WinRed’s fundraising platform, writing: “Joe Manchin knows I’ve always fought wasteful money and opposed liberal policies that do not work for West Virginia residents.” CNN turned to McKinley’s campaign for comment. Asked if Manchin supported McKinley, Sen. Sam Runyon’s spokesman told CNN that “the ad speaks for itself.” Mooney shared the ad on Twitter on Saturday, writing: “Further proof that David McKinley is a complete and utter RINO. Democrat Joe Manchin supports him.” Mooney surpassed McKinley in that cycle, earning $ 3.7 million to his opponent’s $ 2 million by April 20, according to their preliminary submissions to the Federal Election Commission.
The winner would be the overwhelming favorite in the general election for the 2nd District of Congress, which covers the northern half of the state and would have supported Trump by 37 points in 2020. Mancin, who will not be re-elected until 2024, is the only Democrat to represent the Highland State in Congress. Has a history of approvals in all corridors. Last year, he chose to support the re-election of Alaska GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2022 and backed Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2020. . Later this month, Georgia Democrats Carolyn Bourdeaux and Lucy McBath will face each other for a seat on the outskirts of Atlanta. Illinois is hosting two such primaries in June: Democrats Sean Kasten and Marie Newman are vying for a seat in the Chicago suburbs, while Republicans Rodney Davis and Mary Miller are vying for a redesigned Central District. In Michigan, too, Democrats Andy Levin and Haley Stevens are both seeking the same position in the Detroit suburbs. This story has been updated with additional details.