Justice Flips W.Va. Senate Seat as GOP Seeks Majority

Republican Jim Justice won West Virginia’s open U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday night, giving the GOP a boost as it seeks taking control of Congress’ upper chamber.

DecisionDesk HQ and Newsmax called the race shortly after polls closed at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time. With 3% of precincts reporting, Justice, a wildly popular two-term governor, was ahead 49.7%-46.8% against his Democrat challenger, Glenn Elliott.

Former President Donald Trump also was declared the winner of the state’s four electoral votes, giving him a 32-3 advantage over Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris. With 3% of precincts reporting, Trump was ahead 49.4%-48.6%.

Also, Republican Patrick Morrisey, the state’s attorney general, was expected to win the governor’s race against Democrat Steve Williams, although Newsmax and DecisionDesk HQ have yet to call the race.

Justice won the seat left vacant when independent Sen. Joe Manchin, a former Democrat, decided not to seek reelection. Manchin's vacancy was expected to be filled by Justice, and Republicans need to flip just one more seat to gain the Senate majority, provided they lose no seats. Democrats are vulnerable in several states that Trump won in 2016 and 2020, including Ohio and Montana.