On April 27, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced that he is seeking the GOP nomination for his state's 2024 U.S. Senate race. Justice, if he becomes the nominee, is hoping to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
Although Manchin's centrist voting record has been a frequent source of frustration to the liberal/progressive wing of his party, his defenders have been stressing that he is a rare example of a Democrat who can win statewide in deep red West Virginia. Before Manchin was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, he was the state's governor. Justice's allies, however, believe he has a good chance of unseating Manchin if he becomes the GOP nominee.
Justice and Manchin are both strong supporters of fossil fuels and the coal industry, and Justice's coal operation is now facing a 128-page civil lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for — according to Politico's Kyle Cheney — "failing to pay more than $5 million in civil penalties assessed by the Department of the Interior."
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The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, May 30 and includes 13 of the Justice family's businesses as well as the governor's son, Jay Justice.
Cheney reports, "The suit alleges that the businesses failed to pay fines for more than 100 violations of federal mining regulations that created 'health and safety risks' or threatened 'environmental harm.' Justice Department attorneys are seeking a court order to force the Justice companies to repay the fines with interest. The bulk of the lawsuit spells out the individual violations of federal mining regulations, overseen by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement."
Republicans, according to Cheney, are claiming that the DOJ's lawsuit is politically motivated.
GOP strategists feel encouraged by Justice's performance in polls. An East Carolina University Center for Survey Research poll released in late May found that in a hypothetical Justice/Manchin matchup, Justice would win by 22 percent.
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