With Don Blankenship mounting a last-minute surge, President Trump waded into the GOP Senate primary in West Virginia on Monday, stating flatly that the ex-convict “can’t win” in November and would blow the party’s chances of picking off vulnerable incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
Mr. Trump’s morning tweet reportedly came after pleas from Republican Party leaders who now fear Mr. Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy who spent a year in federal prison in connection with the fatal Upper Big Branch mine explosion of 2010, may actually come out on top in Tuesday’s primary.
But the effect of president’s anti-endorsement remains to be seen, as Mr. Trump did not specifically favor either of Mr. Blankenship’s opponents, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and Rep. Evan Jenkins.
“To the great people of West Virginia we have, together, a really great chance to keep making a big difference. Problem is, Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
The president’s “remember Alabama” declaration refers to Senate hopeful Roy Moore, who won a three-way Republican primary but lost to Democrat Doug Jones in a race once seen as a lock for the GOP.
As for West Virginia, the president’s appeal to Republican voters comes at a crucial moment in the race. Once considered a long shot, Mr. Blankenship now may actually be the favorite heading into Tuesday’s election, perhaps the most closely watched primary in the nation and one that Republicans see as pivotal to their chances of retaining control of the Senate.
Both the Morrisey and Jenkins campaigns reportedly have internal polling showing Mr. Blankenship with a small lead. The Blankenship campaign’s own internal survey puts the former coal boss far ahead; the poll of 1,000 West Virginia Republican voters gave Mr. Blankenship 37 percent, compared to just 20 percent for Mr. Morrisey and 15 percent for Mr. Jenkins.
Polls have varied greatly over the past three months, though Mr. Blankenship seems to have gained steam after his performance in last week’s nationally televised primary debate.
Following the president’s tweet, Mr. Blankenship didn’t try to distance himself from Mr. Trump, who remains wildly popular in West Virginia and won the state by more than 40 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election.
Instead, Mr. Blankenship said the president has been misled by establishment Republicans, and that trying to tell West Virginia voters what to do is a mistake.
“The president is a very busy man and he doesn’t know me and he doesn’t know how flawed my two main opponents are in this primary. The establishment is misinforming him because they do not want me to be in the U.S. Senate and promote the president’s agenda,” Mr. Blankenship said.
“Tomorrow, West Virginia will send the swamp a message — no one, and I mean no one, will tell us how to vote,” he continued. “As some have said, I am Trumpier than Trump and this morning proves it.”
Indeed, Mr. Blankenship’s rising poll numbers have coincided with an increasing number of highly inflammatory statements and personal attacks on powerful figures such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He has, for example, dubbed Mr. McConnell “Cocaine Mitch,” a reference to claims that drugs were found on a ship owned by Mr. McConnell’s father-in-law.
For their part, both Mr. Morrisey and Mr. Jenkins clung to Mr. Trump’s tweet. Each claimed to have the support of the president, even though Mr. Trump made it explicit that he has no preference between the two.
“I hope West Virginia voters will listen to President Trump when they go to the polls tomorrow,” Mr. Morrisey said. “We have a real chance to unite behind a proven conservative fighter and defeat Sen. Manchin in the fall. If we do that, West Virginia will have a senator who will work closely with President Trump. Don Blankenship is Chuck Schumer’s favorite candidate because everyone knows he will lose to Joe Manchin in the fall.”
Mr. Jenkins also claimed that he’d been endorsed by the president.
“I’m proud to have President Trump’s support,” he tweeted. “I’m the only candidate in this race who has backed Donald Trump since day one, and I’m working side-by-side with him to America, and West Virginia, Great Again.”
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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