Rep. Alex Mooney arrives for a vote in the Capitol on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) announced Tuesday he will challenge Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin for his Senate seat in 2024.
Why it matters: Days after being reelected to the House, Mooney has kicked off the 2024 election cycle by issuing a challenge to Manchin.
- Manchin, often seen as the most conservative Democrat, has notable power within the Senate and the ability to shape bipartisan legislation.
What they're saying: “I’m announcing right now that I am officially running for the United States Senate," Mooney told West Virginia MetroNews’s “Talkline" on Tuesday. "I’m all in."
- “Republicans need to take the West Virginia seat in two years for the sake of this country,” he said.
- Mooney said Manchin is "the chief enabler of Joe Biden," and "a liberal Democrat."
- "West Virginia doesn’t deserve that anymore and it has to be changed,” he said.
The big picture: Manchin said previously that he wouldn't talk about 2024 ahead of the midterms, focusing on the 2022 midterms instead, Axios reports. He also avoided saying anything about if Democrats should keep control of Congress.
- Manchin has not announced if he will run for Senate in 2024.