Manchin cuts ad for West Virginia Republican facing Trump-endorsed rival in primary
By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin appears to be taking sides in the bitter Republican primary in his home state of West Virginia that pits US Rep. David McKinley against Trump-backed Rep. Alex Mooney.
In a 30-second video ad released Friday, Manchin says: “Alex Mooney has proven he’s all about Alex Mooney. But West Virginians know David McKinley is all about us.”
McKinley and Mooney are facing off in the May 10 Republican primary for West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District after the state lost a seat in redistricting following the 2020 census.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Mooney last year after he voted against a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which was a key part of President Joe Biden‘s economic agenda. McKinley voted for the infrastructure package, which Biden later signed into law.
In the ad, Manchin accuses Mooney and his “out-of-state supporters” of suggesting McKinley supported Biden’s sweeping Build Back Better plan, saying it was an “outright lie.”
“David McKinley has always opposed reckless spending because it doesn’t make sense for West Virginia,” says Manchin, who also did not support the President’s climate and social spending plan.
McKinley’s campaign posted the video on the GOP fundraising platform WinRed, writing, “Joe Manchin knows that I’ve always fought wasteful spending and opposed liberal policies that don’t work for West Virginians.”
CNN has reached out to McKinley’s campaign for comment.
Asked if Manchin was endorsing McKinley, the senator’s spokesperson Sam Runyon told CNN that the “ad speaks for itself.”
Mooney shared the ad on Twitter on Saturday, writing: “Further proof David McKinley is a complete and total RINO. Democrat Joe Manchin is endorsing him.”
Manchin has a history of across-the-aisle endorsements. Last year, he chose to back Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s 2022 reelection bid, and he supported Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2020.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
