CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than a month before the Nov. 5 election, Jim Justice declared victory in West Virginia’s heavily Republican U.S. Senate race, but the second-term governor is trailing. I felt depressed and at the same time my heart was pounding. The field is fighting to keep part of his family business healthy.
Justice’s seat was one of the last bastions for Democrats as they try to maintain a slim majority in a state where Donald Trump won every county in the past two presidential elections. He has become the runaway successor to retiring Sen. Joe Manchin.
“As I have said many times, judge me by my actions,” the judge told reporters on September 19.
The challenge could have had another meaning, as banks, creditors, federal agencies and others who have been dogging judges for years to pay off debts such as loan defaults, late payments and court fines. It may have served as a reminder about people. He is under threat of foreclosure. The governor was sued early in his administration for not living in the governor’s mansion in Charleston, as required by law, but his list of accomplishments while there was neither particularly long nor noteworthy.
Most recently, Justice’s family paid off a debt to fend off a collection agency’s threat to auction off the historic hotel at the Greenbrier Resort.
Still, the righteous boast was probably justified. The politician with a folksy demeanor and a pet bulldog named Baby Dog by his side is running for a seat that was largely conceded by national Democrats as soon as Manchin decided not to run again. Republicans have made this a top goal, with leaders of both parties believing that even Manchin would not be able to serve a third term as a Democrat in the nation’s most Republican states. It became.
Democrats outspent Republicans by more than 5 to 1 in the race, and Democrat Glenn Elliott received less than $3 million in aid from outside groups, according to AdImpact, which tracks campaign spending data. It is said that
It remains to be seen whether voters will ignore the burden of justice. Elliott was surprised by the judge’s public declaration of victory and refusal to hold a debate. Elliott, a former Wheeling mayor who supported Manchin before he switched from a Democrat to an independent, said voters deserve to know more about his justice, including his finances.
“One of the frustrating parts of the campaign is that all the issues the governor has don’t seem to resonate with the average voter for some reason,” Elliott said.
The justices declined to debate, saying only that they were too busy.
“I want to cross the finish line as governor. That’s all,” he said.
As governor, Justice pushed through income tax cuts and billions of dollars in road repairs and construction. He emphasized high state revenue surpluses, job creation and tourism.
But he has been criticized for underfunding public schools and the state’s child care system, and advocates for low-income residents say he is failing to address the challenges facing the poorest citizens. Amid the pandemic, some lawmakers have attacked the attorney general’s award giveaways for people who get coronavirus vaccinations as “wasteful spending.”
West Virginia has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States. The state lost residents at the highest rate of any state over the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 population estimates, and the exodus that led to the loss of seats in Congress continued into the attorney general’s second term. .
It’s unclear how far Justice’s family debt goes back, but it predates Justice’s time as governor, depriving him of his right to call himself a billionaire.
“I’m surprised his business and other responsibilities haven’t really hurt his popularity,” said Robert Rupp, a former political history professor at West Virginia Wesleyan University.
The lawsuit, filed more than a decade ago, sought unpaid contract payments and debts from the Justice family’s mining operations in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Just before he was elected in 2016, Justice’s coal company owed millions of dollars in unpaid taxes to some of Appalachia’s poorest counties. His company also had millions in West Virginia tax liens.
Challenges continue to pile up, reaching their peak this year. Earlier this month, Justice’s family announced they had settled debts to avoid foreclosure on the Greenbrier Hotel, a resort they bought out of bankruptcy in 2009 and has hosted presidents and royalty. Greenbrier union officials said in August that Justice’s family is at least $2.4 million behind in payments to the employee health insurance fund, putting employee coverage at risk.
The judge, who changed political parties seven months after taking office, has repeatedly said the hotel takeover effort was political retaliation. The state Democratic Party said this was “a direct result of his own financial incompetence.”
Elliott wanted to spread the word, so she embarked on a summer tour of all 55 counties. Justice made few campaign stops in the fall, instead making presentations on economic development and visiting schools with her baby dog.
Elliott said residents should pay attention to who Justice is and “not the person you see on TV with your dog or hand out checks to hand out at ribbon cuttings.” But those who don’t pay their bills and don’t pay their taxes. Not respecting the process. Don’t show up to work. Voters don’t think they deserve a chance to see him debate, and basically take their votes for granted. ”
Justice’s campaign raised $4.3 million, while Mr. Elliott raised about $800,000. Justice stuck to the path he took in his easy victory over U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney in the Republican primary.
Even Justice was surprised at how smooth his ride was.
“I don’t want to say this in a selfish way,” Justice told reporters last month. “I didn’t sign up in the primary. Think about this for a second. I didn’t sign up at all and I won by over 35 points. The people of this state They know me, and they know me really well. There was almost no campaigning.
“From a Senate campaign standpoint and everything, the Senate race is over. We’re going to win the race and we’re going to win the race on the way home.”
