Just five months off the race of his life, Joe Manchin is mulling a run for governor in 2020 against GOP Gov. Jim Justice.
The Democratic senator said in an interview Thursday that he’s once again “thinking about” running for the “best job in the world”: governor of West Virginia.
“I think about it every minute of every day. Now, thinking about it and doing it are two different things,” Manchin said. “I’ll make a decision this fall sometime. I don’t think there’s any hurry at all.”
Manchin narrowly won reelection last year against GOP Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a 3-percentage-point victory in a state President Donald Trump won by 42 points in 2016. Manchin, who already served as West Virginia’s governor from 2005 to 2010, largely relied on his retail politicking, help from Democratic outside groups and an aisle-crossing record to defeat Morrisey.
A gubernatorial campaign would be something different altogether since Trump will be on the ballot again. But Manchin said it’s “going to be very difficult for [Justice] no matter who runs against him.”
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There are clear signals that Justice, who was elected as a Democrat but switched parties, and Manchin are preparing for a possible run against each other. Justice has criticized Manchin for his stewardship of the state’s roads and issued a news release lumping in Manchin with “Washington liberals.” Manchin has said the governor “won’t work” and that you “can’t run the state from The Greenbrier,” the resort Justice owns.
