FIRST ON FOX: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, is set to make an “important announcement” next week as rumors circulate about his future political ambitions.
The announcement by Morrisey, who has served as Mountain State’s top law enforcement official since 2013, comes after he said in November he would be “seriously evaluating” a gubernatorial election or a second Senate bid in 2024, a potential threat representing for him incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.
While it’s unclear whether he will seek a position in the US Senate or in the governor’s mansion, Morrisey will make the announcement on 4 plans to Fox News Digital.
“No matter what he decides to run for, Patrick Morrisey will be the candidate to beat,” West Virginia state senator Patricia Rucker told Fox News ahead of the announcement. “Patrick has proven in all the years that I have known him that he is a fierce warrior who is committed to his principles and leadership like his is exactly what we need.”
WEST VIRGINIA AG MORRISEY SERIOUSLY ASSESSES 2024 SENATE ENTRIES AND POSES THREAT TO MANCHIN
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey smiles during a rally with then-President Donald Trump in Charleston, West Virginia August 21, 2018. (Maddie McGarvey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Last November, Morrisey, who lost his 2018 Senate bid to Manchin by less than 20,000 votes, told Fox News Digital that his work would make it a “very, very smooth transition” if he ran for Senate again would already.
in one Letter to supporters That same month, captioned “Big news is coming,” Morrisey wrote, “I’m ready for these new fights — and likely a new position in 2025 — because I’m already leading in the arena and regularly hitting back the Biden agenda.”
The letter came the same day that West Virginia GOP Rep. Alex Mooney announced he would be running as a Republican against Manchin in the state’s 2024 election.
Asked what would make him a better candidate should he decide to challenge Manchin a second time, Morrisey told Fox last year, “I think the threats that the Biden administration is making against our freedoms are things that are going to happen for fundamental to our state and nation, and I am ahead, leading against them and fighting against them right now.”
Morrisey speaks at an event during his first Senate campaign October 22, 2018 in Inwood, West Virginia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
JOE MANCHIN ‘NOT FIGHTING’ FOR PRESIDENT, CONSIDERS POLITICAL FUTURE AS POTENTIAL GOP CHALLENGERS PRESENT
“If I were to enter the US Senate, on day one we would be ready to tackle wake culture, lead against the Green New Deal and make sure we keep the deadly fentanyl out of our communities,” he added. “Those are the things I do now, and it would be a very, very smooth transition to push these initiatives out of the US Senate.”
Republican Gov. Jim Justice, whose term is limited and who cannot be re-elected to his current role, is also said to be considering running for the Senate against Manchin. He was first elected as a Democrat in the 2016 gubernatorial election, but switched parties at a rally with then-President Donald Trump in 2017 and was ultimately reelected as a Republican in 2020.
Manchin, who is running for re-election in 2024, has yet to declare whether he will seek re-election to his House of Lords seat.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, during a community listening session at Piketon High School in Piketon, Ohio on October 20, 2022. (Gaelen Morse/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The West Virginia Democrat faced his biggest challenge in 2018 when he won by just 3% and could face a close challenge from GOP candidates as West Virginia becomes increasingly Republican. A moderate Democrat who has opposed several proposals by the Biden administration, Manchin faced a large amount of criticism within his party as a swing vote for the first two years of Biden’s presidency.
Manchin drew national attention when he announced his opposition Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan, who needed his vote to pass in the Senate. He continued negotiations with the White House as the Anti-Inflation Act bill, later passed thanks to his vote, developed.
Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this article.
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