KEARNEYSVILLE, West Virginia — The looming Senate primary battle between Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) and Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) in West Virginia will be the first real test of the GOP Senate campaign arm’s new strategy of taking sides in Republican primaries this cycle, a departure from the last election in 2022.

Nearly a year ago, the West Virginia governor announced a run for Senate, which was a major win for national Republicans who had been recruiting the term-limited governor for months. However, Mooney was already in the race and had the endorsement of the conservative Club for Growth.