SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — With just one week until Election Day in a contest that could prove crucial in determining which party controls the Senate, incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III clashed Tuesday with his Republican foe, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, as both men tried to undermine the other’s credibility on health care and continued protections for preexisting conditions.
In dueling interviews with Charleston’s WCHS television station, each candidate made a direct appeal to voters in a state that’s become heavily reliant on the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. Mr. Morrisey, who as state attorney general has led legal challenges against the health-care law, stressed that he won’t undo coverage for preexisting conditions, but said Mr. Manchin and other Democrats are standing in the way of competition by propping up a failing system.
“I think it’s really critical to protect those with preexisting conditions and those who need help the most,” Mr. Morrisey said. “We need to get rid of Obamacare and then in the process it becomes relatively easy to protect those who need it the most … I think what Joe Manchin is missing is the hard-working men and women of our state are struggling with these dramatic premium increases.”
The issue has become pivotal in the West Virginia contest. The state — often described as “ground zero” in the nationwide opioid epidemic — has reaped huge benefits from Obamacare, though both candidates agree there are major fixes that must be instituted. Mr. Manchin has touted his willingness to work with Republicans on health-care policy as part of his pitch to conservative and moderate voters in the state.
On Tuesday, he bashed Mr. Morrisey’s lawsuit against Obamacare and also suggested the attorney general — who previously ran for Congress in New Jersey before moving to West Virginia in 2006 — doesn’t grasp the health-care situation in the state.
“Why are you entering into a lawsuit that says preexisting conditions is unconstitutional and should be wiped out?” Mr. Manchin said. “You don’t know my state. You don’t know who we are. I understand you haven’t been here that long, but you should’ve found out people depend on this.”
With the exception of one GOP-funded poll that gave Mr. Morrisey a slight edge, all surveys in the state have shown Mr. Manchin with a solid lead in the race. The most recent Real Clear Politics average of all polls shows the incumbent Democrat up by 12 percentage points.
But President Trump carried West Virginia by more than 40 points in the 2016 presidential contest, and Republicans long have believed Mr. Manchin is vulnerable.
The two men will debate in Morgantown on Thursday night, and Mr. Trump will campaign for Mr. Morrisey on Friday.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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