WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (WVDN) – Perched atop a stool at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, alongside his beloved canine companion, Babydog, Gov. Jim Justice announced his run for U.S. Senate.
Justice was joined by Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Justice will challenge Rep. Alex Mooney in the Republican primary.
Justice is currently serving his second 4-year term as governor. As he announced his bid, Justice pointed to the recent tax cuts he signed into law and his support for school choice and his stance against abortion
Justice filed the paperwork to run for Senate on Thursday morning, hours before the announcement.
Justice announced his run to a packed house in the Colonial Ballroom at The Greenbrier on what is his 72nd birthday. He will likely run against Sen. Joe Manchin in the 2024 election, should he be elected in the primary. Manchin has not confirmed he is running again in 2024.
“I’ve never seen a gun kill anybody, ever,” he said about the 2nd Amendment. “But there’s a heck of a lot of people who kill people. Guns don’t do anything. We’ve got to do something about the people.”
Justice also called out President Joe Biden for his old age. “If he was my dad, I wouldn’t want him to run.”
He told the room about what his father always said, “Keep the saw in the wood,” about perseverance. “I truly believe with all my soul that what we’ve done with this state is unbelievable. This nation needs us, as Republicans, to win.”
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