Sen. Joe Manchin appeared in a campaign commercial this week supporting Republican Rep. David McKinley of West Virginia, a veteran legislator involved in a bruising primary battle with Trump-backed congressman Alex Mooney.
In the 30-second ad, the centrist West Virginia Democrat defends McKinley against Mooney’s attacks by highlighting his opposition to President Joe Biden’s now-shelved Build Back Better legislation — the proposed social-spending bill that was set to fund critical investments in childcare, clean energy, and higher education, among other areas.
In the campaign ad, Manchin, who backed Republican Sen. Susan Collins’ reelection attempt in 2020 and has put his support behind GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s reelection quest this year, took a more aggressive stance against Mooney, accusing him of being “all about” himself.
“I’ve always said if I can’t explain it at home, I can’t vote for it,” Manchin added, explaining why he rejected Build Back Better. “It is a complete falsehood for Alex Mooney and his out-of-state followers to claim that David McKinley endorsed Build Back Better. Because irresponsible spending does not make sense for West Virginia, David McKinley has consistently opposed it.”
The senator went on to say: “Alex Mooney has demonstrated that he is all about him. West Virginians, on the other hand, understand that David McKinley is all about them.”
Sam Runyon, a spokeswoman for Manchin, told CNN that the commercial “speaks for itself” when asked if it was a complete support of McKinley.
McKinley’s team praised Manchin’s support on the Republican fundraising site WinRed after publishing the video.
“Joe Manchin is aware that I’ve consistently opposed excessive spending and leftist ideas that don’t benefit West Virginians,” the note stated.
On Saturday, Mooney reacted to the ad by questioning McKinley’s inclusion of Manchin.
“More evidence that David McKinley is a true RINO. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, has endorsed him “He sent out a tweet.
The fact that McKinley would help promote the Manchin commercial underscores the senator’s nonpartisan appeal in a state that has changed from a Democratic stronghold to a Republican stronghold in the previous 25 years.
Despite Trump’s backing for his opponent, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Manchin, a former West Virginia Secretary of State and governor, was reelected to a second full term in the Senate in 2018.
Former President Donald Trump and Mooney-allied Republicans have chastised McKinley for supporting the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill put into law by Vice President Joe Biden in November. Only 13 House Republicans voted in favor of the bipartisan bill, and McKinley was one of them.
McKinley emphasized the billions of dollars of cash that would be provided for much-needed West Virginia infrastructure projects; Mooney voted against the measure and is exploiting the issue to mobilize his supporters against McKinley.
McKinley and Mooney are competing in a GOP primary after West Virginia lost a congressional district as a result of a consistent demographic reduction from 2010 to 2020, reducing the number of House seats in the state from three to two.
Carol Miller, a Republican, now represents the state’s third congressional district, which is located in the southern part of the state.