“Gov. Jim Justice (R) is planning to launch a long-awaited campaign against Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) next week, handing Republicans a well-funded and popular recruit in their best opportunity to flip a Senate seat,” Politico reports.

“Justice, a coal mining magnate who is friendly with former President Trump, has hinted at a Senate run for months… He was heavily recruited by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and has been in contact with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.”

“Still, Justice is known to change plans suddenly. While the event is set for Thursday, he could still punt a decision to later.”

“Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is throwing his support behind Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) in what’s shaping up to be a high-profile GOP primary race to see which Republican will take on Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) in 2024,” Fox News reports.

“Mooney is the only major Republican candidate in the race so far, but allies of Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell have made it clear they want West Virginia’s Republican governor, Jim Justice, to run as well. Justice was a Democrat until 2017, when he announced himself as a Republican during a rally with former President Donald Trump.”

A new Morning Consult survey finds West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) has a higher approval rating among Democrats in the state than Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) a troubling sign for Senate Democrats as the governor appears headed toward a campaign for Manchin’s seat.

“The GOP push to knock out Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is on — 18 months before Election Day,” Politico reports.

“Republican group One Nation, which is aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, is unloading more than $1 million on a campaign hitting Manchin for supporting Democrats’ marquee party-line bill last year… Simultaneously, a strategist close to GOP Gov. Jim Justice said that the governor has made up his mind and will likely launch his Senate campaign before the end of the month.”

“The Club for Growth will back GOP Rep. Alex Mooney’s West Virginia Senate bid, setting up a potential clash with Gov. Jim Justice, who is expected to enter the race at the behest of the National Republican Senatorial Committee,” Politico reports.

“The conservative anti-tax group had vowed earlier to oppose Justice should he enter the Senate race. Their endorsement of Mooney came on the same day that Patrick Morrisey, the state’s attorney general, announced he would run for governor instead of making another run for Senate.”

“The endorsement adds another level of intrigue into one of the Republican Party’s primary Senate pick up opportunities this cycle.”

Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said they would cross party lines to support fellow centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) if he runs for reelection, Politico reports.

“Elated Senate Republicans believe they are on the cusp of landing their highest-profile recruit of the 2024 campaign: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice,” Politico reports.

“Justice, a Democrat-turned-Republican with sky-high approval ratings, is increasingly expected to launch a bid for Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) seat after consulting with top party officials in Washington this month, according to a half-dozen GOP senators and aides. A Justice candidacy would notch two big wins for Republicans, breaking their losing streak in recruiting popular governors and reshaping next year’s battleground map.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) “insists he’ll win if he runs for reelection,” Bloomberg reports.

“That ‘if’ is one of the biggest uncertainties in U.S. politics, one that could determine Senate control and the role of centrists in an increasingly polarized country.”

“While other Democratic incumbents in Trump-friendly states — Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Jon Tester of Montana — have announced reelection campaigns, Manchin is in no hurry. He had $9.5 million in his campaign account at the end of 2022, but says he won’t make any announcements until the end of the year, and laments a perennial focus on politics.”

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is in no hurry to announce his plans for 2024, keeping the political world on the edge of their seats for the foreseeable future,” the Washington Examiner reports.

“While fellow red-state Democratic Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) have announced their 2024 Senate campaigns, all eyes are on the centrist West Virginia Democrat, the only one up for reelection in a state former President Donald Trump won by double digits in 2020 who has not made his intentions known.”

“Republicans are coming to an increasingly popular consensus: Gov. Jim Justice is by far the best candidate to take on Joe Manchin,” Politico reports.

“In fact, the two-term governor and Democrat-turned-Republican is the only potential challenger who would currently beat the centrist Democratic senator, according to a new GOP poll gaming out the race. While Justice leads Manchin handily, according to the survey, Manchin has big leads over Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) — the only Republican officially in the race — and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who ran against Manchin in 2018 and is mulling another bid.”

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) expressed a keen interest in running for the state’s Senate seat now held by moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bloomberg reports.

“The National Republican Senatorial Committee is portraying Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) as a Davos-trekking elitist in a direct mail and digital ad campaign directed at West Virginia voters,” Axios reports.

“The NRSC’s early anti-Manchin messaging is part of a pressure campaign designed to dissuade him from seeking a third term. Manchin is the only Democrat who can realistically hold a Senate seat in one of the most conservative states in the country.”

Insider: Manchin says he hasn’t ruled out a presidential bid in 2024.

“Joe Manchin is among the last of a dying breed — a Democratic senator representing a deep red state. He’s managed to hang on time and time again in West Virginia by bucking his party on key votes and building a reputation as a centrist,” NBC News reports.

“But Republicans are already betting that in this era of extreme partisanship, and with West Virginia trending further and further to the right, voters will want someone who’s more aligned with the state’s trajectory. Candidates are already eyeing a chance to topple him, setting up the Senate contest there as one of the premiere races of the 2024 cycle.”

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) said he’s considering a run for U.S. Senator in 2 years when his second term as governor expires, WTOV reports.

Rep.  Alex Mooney (R-WV) announced that he is running for Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) Senate seat in 2024, Fox News reports.

Meanwhile, from the West Virginia Metro News: “Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, the Republican challenger to Manchin in 2018, has also signaled an interest in running for Senate again. And Gov. Jim Justice, who is term limited past 2024, has also mused about a continued role in ‘national office.'”

“Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) is a Trump-backed Christian conservative who is anti-abortion, pro-coal and thinks marriage should be ‘between a man and a woman.’ Barry Wendell (D), his opponent in next week’s election, is an openly gay Jewish man who supports abortion rights and replacing fossil fuels with clean energy,” the AP reports.

“You’d think the candidates — who couldn’t be more different — would have a lot to talk about. But Mooney hasn’t shown much interest in debating or even engaging with Wendell. The sitting congressman is more interested in talking about the last Democrat holding statewide office in West Virginia, Sen. Joe Manchin.”

“If they defeat me, I get to go home. That’s my consolation… This is not the best job in the world. I can assure you I’ve had better jobs.”

— Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), when asked by CNN if he’ll run for re-election in 2024.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) “said he may not be done with public office when his second term as governor concludes in 2024, and that a seat in the U.S. Senate just might pique his interest,” the Parkersburg News and Sentinel reports.

” The next time one of West Virginia’s two Senate seats is up is 2024, when the seat of current Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is up for grabs. That coincides with Justice’s term as governor coming to an end.”