Gov. Justice expected to announce run for U.S. Senate

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. (WDBJ) - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice is expected to announce he’s running for the U.S. Senate, when he holds a news conference Thursday evening.

Justice has scheduled a 5 p.m. event at The Greenbrier Resort, promising a special announcement. And every indication suggests the Republican is going to run for the seat now held by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.

WDBJ7 political analyst Bob Denton said Justice would be well-positioned to win.

“He’s the 5th most popular governor as of January with 66% support,” Denton said. “Manchin in January, his favorables were only about 42%. And so the governor is very popular among the citizens and he certainly has plenty of money to run a competitive campaign.”

Denton said it could be a leading race, as Republicans try to reclaim control of the Senate. And he notes Manchin hasn’t announced if he plans to run for reelection.

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