West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin surprised some with the decision to appear in a Republican primary ad to defend candidate Rep. David McKinley from the accusation he supported the President’s Build Back Better plan.
Fox News reports:
“I have always said, if I can’t go home and explain it, I can’t vote for it, and that’s why I opposed Build Back Better,” Manchin said in a 30-second spot this weekend.
Manchin went on to defend McKinley against a claim from his Republican opponent, Alex Mooney, who accused McKinley of effectively supporting Build Back Better by voting for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
“For Alex Mooney and his out-of-state supporters to suggest David McKinley supported Build Back Better is an outright lie,” the Democrat said. “David McKinley has always opposed reckless spending because it doesn’t make sense for West Virginia.”
Both Mooney and McKinley are currently in the House of Representatives, but the new congressional maps put McKinley, who represents West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, where Mooney is the incumbent. Both announced their races to represent the same district in Oct. 2021.
Former President Trump has backed Mooney in the race. However, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who has also been viewed as a 2024 contender, endorsed McKinley.
