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Democrats displeased with Senator Joe Manchin’s moderate stance are going to be even less happy with the man who took his seat.

Republican Governor Jim Justice successfully flipped Manchin’s seat from blue to red. The win also helped the GOP clinch the Senate majority with 52 seats, which will help President-elect Donald Trump implement his agenda following the inauguration.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put in a lot of work and effort to convince Justice, who is wrapping up his second gubernatorial term, to enter the race for Manchin’s seat. The seat had previously belonged to Democrat Robert Byrd from 1958 to 2010, making this a big flip for the Republican Party.

McConnell reportedly flew out to West Virginia to personally discuss the race with Justice, eventually convincing him to join and run against his little-known Dem opponent Glenn Elliot. Justice, who had a 51% approval rating, won the race with a whopping 67.2% of the vote.

The upset comes after Manchin stood up to the Democrat Party, of which he was a member, refusing to go along with the progressive agenda they tried to enact following President Joe Biden’s win. His unwillingness to fall in lockstep with the rest of the party made him deeply unpopular until May 2024 when he officially registered as an Independent.

“From my first day in public service in 1982, I have always focused on doing what’s best for my state and my country, without regard to party or politics,” he wrote at the time. “Throughout my days in elected office, I have always been proud of my commitment to common sense, bipartisanship, and my desire to bring people together. It’s who I am. It’s who I will always be. I have never seen America through a partisan lens.”

“However, since becoming a United States Senator in 2010, I have seen both the Democrat and Republican parties leave West Virginia and our country behind for partisan extremism while jeopardizing our democracy. Today, our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground. To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority,” he concluded.

Manchin announced that he would not be seeking reelection in November, leaving both major parties to scramble to find a candidate to run for such an important seat. The Hill reports that Dems conceded “months ago” that the seat would end up being flipped red, as Justice proved to be a formidable opponent.

X celebrated the conversion:

Sierra Marlee
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