After two terms as West Virginia’s governor, Jim Justice has officially traded the State Capitol for Capitol Hill, taking his oath of office for the United States Senate Tuesday afternoon.
Most incoming U.S. senators were sworn in Jan. 3. But Justice delayed his ceremony until West Virginia’s new governor, Patrick Morrisey, took office, saying he wanted to ensure a seamless transition in leadership.
Morrisey, a Republican, was inaugurated in Charleston on Monday. Justice was formally sworn in just one day later by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the chamber’s president pro tempore.
A Republican, Justice was elected to the U.S. Senate by a significant majority of West Virginia voters in November. He succeeds outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent who announced he would not seek reelection in November 2023.
With Manchin’s departure, West Virginia’s other U.S. senator, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, becomes the state’s senior representative in the upper chamber of Congress. Capito was present at Justice’s swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, standing beside him as he took his oath of office.
U.S. senators are elected to serve six-year terms, meaning Justice is slated to hold office until 2031.