A Democratic-aligned group is launching a new ad aimed at boosting Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) as he mulls reelection by tying the West Virginia Democrat to an unlikely figure: former President Donald Trump.
The Duty and Honor PAC, which is affiliated with Senate Democrats, will begin airing the ad this week, highlighting Manchin’s work to protect miners’ pensions and health insurance during the Trump administration. The six-figure ad campaign will be featured on multiple digital platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and Google.
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“When miners’ pensions were being chipped away, Joe Manchin protected our hard-earned benefits and worked with President Trump to protect over 100,000 miners’ pensions,” the voiceover says. “And when gridlock in Washington threatened to take away our healthcare, Sen. Manchin made sure nobody touched our benefits and helped secure health insurance for 22,000 miners. That’s the West Virginia way. Tell Manchin to keep fighting for West Virginia.”
Manchin has yet to announce whether he will run for reelection to the Senate or if he has other plans. He often teases the possibility of a presidential run on a third-party ticket, which would leave open a crucial Senate seat and pose a serious challenge to President Joe Biden as he seeks reelection.
The West Virginia senator is being eyed as a top contender for the No Labels group, which is planning to launch an alternative ticket in the case of a Trump-Biden rematch.
The West Virginia Senate race is anticipated to be one of the most competitive elections of the 2024 cycle, making it one of only three races to be deemed a “tossup” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. If Manchin runs for a second bid, he is expected to be one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the Senate, as he would be running in a state that Biden lost by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020.
If he chooses not to, Senate Democrats would lose their best chance of holding the seat in what is already expected to be a difficult cycle for them.
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Although Manchin has not revealed his future plans, the West Virginia Democrat has expressed confidence in a victory regardless of the battle he picks.
“I’ve been in races to win. If I get in the race, I’m going to win,” Manchin said last month. “I haven’t made a decision.”
