President Trump did Senate Republicans a solid on Thursday. He put himself in the middle of the West Virginia Senate race. Literally.
The president traveled to the Mountain State to plug GOP tax breaks and to streamline the West Virginia Republican primary. Two thirds of the candidates sat next to him on stage: West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey to his left and Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.V., to his right.
Not pictured? Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship who has strangely gained political momentum. That coal baron is best known for his role in the explosion of the Upper Big Branch Mine which left 29 dead and sent him to prison for a year.
While Blankenship has gained a foothold in the race, Republicans worry he isn’t the best candidate because, duh, he has a criminal record, and the crime is one that West Virginians may be especially unwilling to forgive. His nomination would be the best thing that could happen to the incumbent, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V. And so, to keep that from happening, Trump invited every candidate without a criminal record on stage.
That’s no small accomplishment. The West Virginia Republican primary has been more vicious than most due to the fact that Manchin is considered the most vulnerable Democrat.
Morrisey accuses Jenkins of being a liberal in conservative clothing, pointing out that his opponent used to identify as a Democrat. In turn, Jenkins has attacked Morrisey for allegedly funding his campaign with money from Planned Parenthood.
But there weren’t any barbs thrown between the two. Playing peacemaker, Trump even managed to make the event lighthearted when he conducted an impromptu straw poll:
“Should we do a little test? Who’s voting for Patrick?,” Trump asked to moderate applause. “Who’s voting for Evan?” the president continued to slightly louder cheers. When Morrisey protested lightheartedly that the event was in Jenkins’ home district, Trump acquiesced, before telling the crowd that it was too close to call. “It was fairly close, right?”
Soon Jenkins and Morrisey will start tearing each other apart again. But for a moment, Trump made a truce and offered his tacit endorsement to every GOP Senate candidate without a criminal record.
