Republicans are reaching into their campaign coffers to dump millions of dollars into ads criticizing Sen. Joe Manchin III’s central role in passing the Inflation Reduction Act, even as the West Virginia Democrat has soured on the tax-and-climate spending law he wrote.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate Republicans’ fundraising arm, and the McConnell-aligned public advocacy group One Nation have dropped several ads targeting Mr. Manchin more than 18 months before West Virginians head to the polls.
The early spending blitz underscores a vulnerability for the conservative Democrat as he faces difficult reelection odds in a ruby red state, despite his torching the Biden administration’s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and distancing himself from the president.
Mr. Manchin briefly set aside his flame-throwing rhetoric against the administration to praise “the amount of jobs we’ve gotten out of investments we have in West Virginia.”
He also told The Washington Times that “as far as the millions [in ads], you expect that. It’s a political season.”
Mr. Manchin remains cryptic in his reelection intentions and has avoided ruling out a presidential run, saying in a recent statement: “I will win any race I enter.”
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But Republicans aren’t pulling any punches.
Even with Mr. Manchin saying he would support repealing the Inflation Reduction Act if Biden officials “continue to liberalize” it, the NRSC has dropped four ads against Mr. Manchin since January.
“Joe Manchin wrote Biden’s green energy bill, putting West Virginia jobs at risk and bragged about it,” an ad released this week says. “Then his poll numbers tanked, so Manchin is changing his tune.”
In the previous Congress, when the Senate was split 50-50, Mr. Manchin was the deciding vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act.
One Nation has spent $2 million on two ads, the more recent also coming this week. That 30-second spot emphasizes West Virginia’s economic dependence on the fossil fuel industry, particularly natural gas and coal.
“Sen. Manchin’s deciding vote for Biden’s law could cost West Virginia 100,000 fossil fuel jobs,” the ad says. “Tell Sen. Manchin to stop writing off West Virginia jobs and backing Biden’s liberal climate policy.”
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney are set to duke it out in the GOP primary to run against Mr. Manchin, should he seek reelection.
Mr. Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, has accused the administration of bending the Inflation Reduction Act to the whims of Mr. Biden’s climate change agenda rather than strengthening U.S. energy security.
The law includes $370 billion in green energy tax credits over the next decade.
He has taken particular issue with the handling of domestic-sourcing rules on which electric vehicles qualify for up to $7,500 in credits.
He’s charged the administration with loosening those rules to have more EVs qualify for the credits, resulting in greater reliance on foreign sources for the critical minerals for EV batteries.
The administration has denied any wrongdoing and suggested the law is broad and complex, allowing federal agencies to interpret congressional intent.
Still, Mr. Manchin remains bitter about the law he helped write, going so far as to threaten legal action against the administration and to support repealing it.
“If this administration does not honor what it said it would do, and basically continue to liberalize that … I will do everything I can in my power to prevent that from happening,” Mr. Manchin told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity last month. “And if they don’t change that, I would vote to repeal my own bill.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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