Jim Justice won the state’s open Senate seat Tuesday, NBC News projects, moving Republicans one step closer to flipping the balance of power in the chamber.
Justice faced little competition from Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, a Democrat, in a race that Republicans were heavily favored to win after the retirement of independent Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May.
Justice won election as governor in 2016, the year Trump won the state by more than 42 percentage points.
After months of publicly clashing with his party, Manchin announced he wouldn’t seek re-election.
But Justice cruised to victory, defeating Mooney by 35 points in May, and faced little political opposition since.
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