In possible 2024 West Virginia Senate race, GOP Gov. Justice over incumbent Democrat Manchin, poll

Manchin has not formally entered the Senate race, but he may be looking at running for the White House.

Published: February 16, 2023 9:04am

Updated: February 16, 2023 9:29am

West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice is the only potential nominee who could beat Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin in the 2024 Senate race, according to a GOP poll.

Justice, a Democrat-turned-Republican, has not formally entered the race, but in a hypothetical matchup, the two-term governor beat Manchin 52% to 42%, according to the poll conducted by The Tarrance Group, a GOP strategic research and polling firm.

Manchin leads the hypothetical race against Rep. Alex Mooney, the only declared GOP candidate, and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who lost against Manchin in 2018.

Justice told CBS News that he will decide by the end of this month whether he will enter the race.

Manchin has not formally announced a reelection bid. He has declined to rule out a 2024 presidential bid when he spoke with reporters earlier this month.

The poll was conducted from Feb. 5-7 with 609 likely registered West Virginia voters and the margin of error is 4.1%.