Trump backs Gov. Jim Justice in West Virginia GOP Senate primary

• Since leaving office, the former president's endorsement has had influence in primaries, though many of the candidates he backed lost in the general elections last year.
• He opted for Justice over House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.), who is challenging the governor and clinched Trump's endorsement his House race last year.
• Trump's backing of Justice aligns him with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Steve Daines (R-Mont.).

Driving the news: "Big Jim will be a Great UNITED STATES SENATOR, and has my Complete & Total Endorsement. HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

• Justice, a coal magnate who announced his bid in April, touted Trump's endorsement and posted a photo of it on the social media platform X.

• "I'm the only American First Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in West Virginia," Justice, a former Democrat who switched parties in 2017, wrote on Wednesday.

What to watch: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D), who has not yet announced whether he will run for re-election, could see the toughest race of his career if he faces Justice in the election.

• Manchin has considered running for president as an independent.

Go deeper: Joe Manchin feels the heat in West Virginia