There’s big news expected to come out of West Virginia today — news that will set the stage for a marquee GOP primary and potentially a pivotal general election race.
West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice is expected to announce a Senate bid flanked by two GOP senators, West Virginia’s Shelley Moore Capito and South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham (according to three people familiar with the plans), as well as Justice’s photogenic dog, Babydog.
Justice spoke with former President Donald Trump ahead of the announcement, according to a source familiar with the conversation.
As he announces his bid, Justice is expected to highlight the recent tax cuts he signed into law and address abortion head on, Tsirkin adds.
Justice will be seeking the GOP primary alongside GOP Rep. Alex Mooney, who is endorsed by the conservative Club for Growth and has also made a play for Trump’s endorsement. Mooney also placed his first broadcast TV ad buy on Wednesday, reserving $11,000 in airtime starting on Thursday and running through May 1 on two local markets and on Fox News.
His new ad goes directly at “Liberal Jim Justice,” mocking him with video of him awkwardly putting on a mask during the beginning of the pandemic, arguing his pandemic policies hurt businesses, and criticizing his record on taxes.
Justice and Mooney will be vying for their party’s nomination in a state that Trump won by 39 percentage points in 2020, but it’s not clear who their Democratic opponent would be, as Sen. Joe Manchin has not committed to running for re-election.
In other campaign news…
Ron to run: Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to jump into the presidential race as soon as mid-May, NBC News’ Matt Dixon and Natasha Korecki report, with one source telling them that DeSantis will first launch an exploratory committee.
The unhappiest place on Earth: Disney is suing DeSantis, alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” amid a months-long feud over Walt Disney World’s governance. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley needled DeSantis by evoking one of Trump’s pejorative nicknames for the Florida Republican.
Ceasefire: Politico reports that DeSantis told a Japanese media outlet he wants to see a “ceasefire” in the war between Ukraine and Russia.
More polls: A new Fox News poll shows President Joe Biden leading the Democratic nomination field with 62%, followed by Robert Kennedy Jr. at 19% and Marianne Williamson at 9%. The same poll found Trump on top of the Republican field with support from 53% of GOP primary voters, followed by DeSantis at 21% and the rest of the field in single digits.
Is age but a number?: NBC News’ Peter Nicholas and Mike Memoli dig deeper into Biden’s age as a potential weakness as he runs for re-election. Also on Wednesday, Haley questioned whether Biden would “make it” until the end of his second term.
Trump trials: Writer E. Jean Carroll testified in her civil lawsuit against Trump, saying that “I’m here because Trump raped me.” Also on Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled that Trump could not block former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying in an investigation into Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Asa’s in: Former Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson formally announced his presidential bid Wednesday.
The elephant not in the room: The Washington Post reports that the GOP’s draft 2022 autopsy report doesn’t mention Trump amid concerns from some Republicans that his handpicked candidates and focus on re-litigating the 2020 election may have hampered the party.
Powerful friends: Trump now has the committee chairs for both the House and Senate campaign arms in his corner (in their personal capacities).
