The National Rifle Association on Tuesday endorsed West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey over Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is hoping to keep his seat in November.
“As attorney general of West Virginia, Patrick Morrisey has strongly supported the Second Amendment, and we can trust him to defend our constitutional rights in the U.S. Senate,” said Chris Cox, the NRA’s chairman. “Unlike Joe Manchin, Morrisey will stand strong against the Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer anti-gun agenda.”
“Gun owners in West Virginia deserve a trustworthy, consistent advocate for their Second Amendment freedoms,” Cox added. “Joe Manchin has lost their trust. Patrick Morrisey has earned it. The NRA encourages all freedom-loving West Virginians to vote for Morrisey in November.”
The endorsement came less than two months before Election Day in a state long targeted by Republicans for a win in November. Despite Manchin’s electoral success in the state, President Trump won the state by 42 points and remains popular in the state.
“West Virginians hold dear our right to protect ourselves and our families, so I’m proud to have fought to protect Second Amendment rights and I’m honored to have earned the NRA’s endorsement,” Morrisey said in a statement. “Lying liberal Joe Manchin has disrespected West Virginia gun owners by standing with anti-gun liberals like Obama and Schumer in efforts to undermine the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”
The endorsement is one of the first by the NRA in the 2018 cycle. Matt Rosendale, the Republican nominee in Montana against Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., revealed last week that the group has also endorsed him.
Morrisey holds an A+ rating from the 2nd Amendment advocacy group while Manchin has a D.
