Mooney Announces 2024 Senate Run

Congressman Alex Mooney will run for the U.S. Senate in 2024.

Mooney, a Republican who last week easily won reelection to a fifth term in Congress, made the announcement Tuesday on MetroNews “Talkline.”

“I’m announcing it right now that I’m officially running for the U.S. Senate. I’m all in,” he said.

Mooney looks to take the seat from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who has been in office since 2010.

“I’m not happy with the U.S. Senate results to be perfectly honest,” Mooney continued. “I think West Virginians need to take the Republican seats in two years for the sake of this country.”

Democrats maintained control of the U.S. Senate following last week’s election. Control of the House of Representatives is still to be determined, though Republicans inched closer Monday night.

Mooney criticized Manchin Tuesday during his announcement and called Manchin a “the chief enabler” of President Joe Biden’s policies, which Mooney said are a threat to West Virginia values. Mooney was previously backed by President Donald Trump.

Manchin has not yet announced if he’ll run in 2024.

“A robust democratic process has never been more important to our country, and Sen. Manchin encourages every candidate who values public service to enter the race,” Manchin’s Communications Director Sam Runyon said in a statement Tuesday following Mooney’s announcement.

Mooney’s bid for the Senate comes as he is the subject of two ongoing House Ethics Committee investigations alleging he used campaign money for personal expenses and accepted a trip to Aruba paid for by a campaign client and family friend.

Mooney has said his office is fully cooperating with the committee.