Alex Mooney Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Don Blankenship, Now A Democrat, Files To Run For U.S. Senate

Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy, was convicted of violating federal mine safety law in a 2016 trial. Twenty-nine miners at Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine were killed in 2010.

Convicted coal executive Don Blankenship has filed to run for U.S. Senate – as a Democrat.

The filing appeared Friday on the West Virginia Secretary of State’s website.

Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy, was convicted of violating federal mine safety law in a 2015 trial. Twenty-nine miners at Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine were killed in 2010.

Blankenship tried unsuccessfully to appeal his conviction. He served a year in prison. He ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2018 and for president in 2020 on the Constitution Party ticket.

Two other Democrats have filed to run this year to succeed U.S. Sen Joe Manchin, who’s not seeking re-election. They are Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott and Marine Corps veteran Zach Shrewsbury.

The winner will face either Republican Gov. Jim Justice or Republican Rep. Alex Mooney in November.

Manchin’s Retirement Leaves A Statewide Void For Democrats

The retirement of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin marks the end of an era, as Manchin is the last Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia. Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University, spoke to WVPB about what Manchin’s departure means for Democrats and what it would take to fill the void he’ll leave.

The retirement of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin marks the end of an era, as Manchin is the last Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia.

Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University, spoke to reporter Curtis Tate about what Manchin’s departure means for Democrats and what it would take to fill the void he’ll leave.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Tate: Can a Democrat still win a statewide office in West Virginia? What would it take?

Workman: I think the West Virginia that used to exist, where a Democrat talked a lot about coal, and especially coal families and what we were going to do for coal families, I don’t think that’s the West Virginia that exists. The West Virginia that exists is about recreational economy issues. It’s about health care. It’s about the manufacturing and the sort of energy projects we’re going to do in the western part of the state. And I think for a Democrat to win, they have to slot in those issues and be a little more forward looking than your standard, progressive sort of challenger to Manchin of recent times.

Manchin’s an older sort of politician who could kind of go at people with the elements of policy and whatnot. I don’t think that’s as viable a strategy anymore. I think the Democrats in the state really need to think about how their platform relates to the investments and the jobs that we have right now, not the ones we used to have.

Tate: Who steps in to fill the void Manchin leaves?

Workman: I’m going to give you a two part answer to that question. The first part is that looking to compare anyone to Joe Manchin, that gives them a tough road ahead, because Joe Manchin, in my lifetime, is the best politician. Now understand what I’m saying. Not saying that everyone agrees with him, rah rah. But as just a sheer politician, he’s the best politician the state has witnessed in my lifetime. I don’t think (Robert) Byrd or (Jay) Rockefeller could have held that seat as long as he did. He understands politics on the ground in difficult situations, probably better and has a better feel for it than anyone that I have come across on either side of the aisle, frankly. So that’s part one.

Part two is I think, no one steps up to the Democrats and fills those shoes in this election cycle. When we talk about the reemergence of the Democratic Party in West Virginia, I think you’re talking about something that is two, three cycles away, in terms of elections. Because we do have good sort of politicians at lower levels. If you take the state party chair, Mike Pushkin, a very prominent figure, in general does a good job of sort of navigating the waters of politics here on the ground. This guy (Zach) Shrewsbury, from my home county of Fayette County, he’s got a little more wind in his sails now with Manchin out of there. I still think folks like that run into the problem of sort of thinking about the West Virginia they grew up in and not the one that exists today. Steve Williams, the mayor from Huntington, he’s kind of a little late to statewide politics. But he’s fairly well known. He’s been a great mayor of Huntington. So there are people. I guess what I’m saying is there are people out there.

Tate: Gov. Jim Justice is likely the successor to Manchin. But he’s got to get through a Republican primary with Rep. Alex Mooney. Won’t that expose many of his vulnerabilities?

Workman: Sort of the godsend to the governor, if he gets through the primary, Manchin was no longer waiting on the other side, which he most certainly would have. And, as I think I may have said to you at some point before, each of those folks would have been the best politician the other has ever faced, for certain. So it’s very hard for me to see the governor not getting through the primary. And that’s not a statement about representative Mooney, he’s a very able, obviously very able and agile politician, because he took down Rep. (David) McKinley, largely in his own district. So Mooney has the acumen to make it tough. But the governor is so entrenched in the minds of the state.

He’s also entrenched in national Republican minds. The pandemic and the fallout from it gave the governor a lot of airtime and space and national politics. He was on all the big shows, at one point or another, talking about our vaccine programs, which were initially very successful, all this sort of stuff. But it’s very hard, barring health issues, barring financial or legal troubles, or something we don’t know yet. It’s very hard to see the governor – it would be a monumental collapse, I think, for the governor to lose this. I think Gov. Justice is probably our next senator and I just do not see in the span of one year, a Democrat making up all that space from such a low starting point for Democratic politics in the state. It’s very difficult to see that.

Tate: Joe Manchin is already a national figure, if not a household name. So what purpose would running for president as a third-party candidate serve for him?

Workman: I think it’s also the case that becoming a national figure may put him in a spot to take a cabinet position of some sort. I know if I were a betting person, I would say he would love probably to be energy secretary and have some measure of authority over how all of the money for energy transitions that he has secured, have some ability to direct those funds on the ground. So I think it comes from both believing that that middle was there, genuinely because it’s who he is. And it’s how he’s won. It’s how he’s built his political career.

But I also think there might be some angling here to be part of a presidential administration as a cabinet member or whatnot. So we all know, it’s almost structurally impossible for a third party candidate to win, right? Our elections are structured in a way that really prevents it. It’s why we’ve not really seen it.

Justice: Congress Was ‘Clear And Emphatic’ About Mountain Valley Pipeline

Construction stopped on the project when the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with environmental groups and landowners challenging it.

Gov. Jim Justice has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow construction to resume on the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

“Clear and emphatic.” That’s what Justice says Congress said about the 300-mile natural gas pipeline when it required by law last month the approval of all remaining federal permits.

Still, construction stopped on the project when the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with environmental groups and landowners challenging it.

Justice and others say Congress took the project out of the Fourth Circuit’s jurisdiction.

If completed, the pipeline would run from Wetzel County to Pittsylvania County, Virginia. A proposed extension to North Carolina is also on hold.

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin, Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney, and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey have all submitted briefs to the Supreme Court in support of the pipeline’s completion.

Morrisey Backs Mountain Valley Pipeline In Supreme Court Brief

Morrisey argues that Congress authorized all outstanding federal permits for the pipeline in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which lawmakers enacted last month.

West Virginia’s Attorney General has joined the chorus of state officials supporting the Mountain Valley Pipeline in its latest court challenge.

The office of Patrick Morrisey submitted a 31-page brief to the U.S. Supreme Court urging the resumption of construction on the natural gas pipeline “without more delay.”

The 300-mile pipeline’s builders asked the Supreme Court to intervene after the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals once again blocked construction on the project.

Morrisey argues that Congress authorized all outstanding federal permits for the pipeline in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which lawmakers enacted last month.

He also said Congress required any further judicial review of the project to take place in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rather than the Fourth Circuit.

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin and Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney submitted briefs in support of the pipeline. Gov. Jim Justice last week said he would do so.

West Virginia’s Delegation Backs MVP In SCOTUS Briefs

The 300-mile natural gas pipeline is on hold again because the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked construction, siding with environmental groups and landowners.

West Virginia’s entire congressional delegation has filed briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Republican Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney joined a brief with other lawmakers in support of the project. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, submitted a separate brief.

The 300-mile natural gas pipeline is on hold again because the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked construction, siding with environmental groups and landowners.

They say the project threatens waterways and could cause soil erosion and methane leaks.

The pipeline’s builders have asked the Supreme Court to overrule the Fourth Circuit and requested a decision by July 27.

In a bill Congress passed last month, lawmakers required the approval of all outstanding federal permits for the project.

Justice, Mooney Senate Campaign Finance Numbers Note Diverse Support

The Republican U.S. Senate primary campaigns for Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney released their candidates’ second quarter finance numbers this week.

The Federal Election Commission’s deadline for second quarter filing is July 15. Neither candidate had filed as of this story’s publishing.

The Justice campaign said it has raised more than $935,000 since he announced his candidacy in late April. The Mooney campaign says he raised $550,000 in the second quarter of 2023.

Mooney’s camp said it currently has $1.5 million cash on hand. Justice’s people report over $800,000 cash on hand entering the third fundraising quarter.

West Virginia University’s (WVU) Political Science Department Chair John Kilwein thinks the amounts were closer than expected.

“Given Justice’s popularity and support by Mitch McConnell and the polling data, I thought it was going to be a lot higher,” Kilwein said, referring to the Senate Republican leader from Kentucky, who recruited Justice to run.

The Justice campaign press release highlights “receiving support from 5,526 individual donors, with 93 percent of those donors giving less than $100.”

Mooney’s campaign release touts, “Club for Growth Action and Protect Freedom PAC (Political Action Committee) announced that it hauled in an impressive $13.55 million for Alex Mooney.”

Kilwein said both releases clearly come with a specific angle from the candidate’s perspective. He sees two possible scenarios for the dichotomy in highlighting small vs. big donations.

“One, you may be taking advantage of what is a reality that isn’t as helpful to you,” Kilwein said. “If that’s where you got the money from, then you simply have to brag about where you got it. Or, it just may be that both candidates are saying, here’s the narrative – Mooney may be explaining to more fiscally conservative voters, look who’s backing me. Justice is playing on his strength, a popular governor, well loved across the state.”

Mooney’s release notes, “Club for Growth PAC endorsed Alex Mooney in West Virginia’s U.S. Senate Race because Alex is a proven conservative.”

When asked about the PACs aligned with McConnell supporting Justice and how much money has been raised, Justice’s campaign manager Roman Stauffer suggested using this quote attributed to him, not answering the question:

“Governor Justice received tremendous support from West Virginians and others who have confidence in his leadership and conservative record and know he is the strongest candidate for the U.S. Senate,” Stauffer said. “Unlike our opponent, we are focused on talking to West Virginians and not coordinating with out-of-state groups desperate to influence this race.”

Justice and Mooney are the two leading Republican candidates on the May 2024 primary ballot. Incumbant Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has said he expects to announce his future political intentions in December.

Even with West Virginia being such a red state, Kilewein said Justice and Mooney “should not think this is going to be a cakewalk once it gets to the general election.”

“Why? Just because Manchin is Manchin,” Kilwein said. “It could be a complete wipeout. But I also think that it could be tough. I definitely could see Manchin run with this kind of folksy charm against Mooney, who certainly lacks that as someone who is not a native is needed. It will be a tougher battle between Justice and Manchin, but Justice comes to this with some problems with his companies and his age and his health, and his apparent lack of interest in not wanting to live in Charleston. How are you going to want to live in D.C.? I’m not saying that the Republicans are not going to win. I’m just saying that it may not be as easy as they think it is.”

West Virginia’s 2024 primary election is May 14.