Fox News projects Justice victory in West Virginia as GOP flips Senate seat

The Fox News Decision Desk projects that Republican Gov. Jim Justice of West Virginia will defeat the Democrat Party's nominee - Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott - as the GOP flips a seat

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) leaves the U.S. Capitol on July 11, 2024 in Washington, DC.  (Tierney L. Cross/Getty Images)

With Justice's victory, Republicans will control both of West Virginia's two Senate seats for the first time in nearly a century.

Justice, with the support of Trump, easily defeated conservative Rep. Alex Mooney, R-W.Va., in a contentious GOP primary earlier this year. Elliot, who had the backing of Manchin, won a three-way battle for the Democrat Party nomination.

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The governor this year grabbed national attention for BabyDog Justice, his English bulldog who has regularly accompanied Justice at public and political engagements.

And Babydog stole the show, as Justice's pet appeared with the governor as he spoke during the second night of the Republican National Convention, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in July.

Babydog Justice was given her own seat on stage at the Republican National Convention, on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Getty Images)

Justice ran for West Virginia governor as a Democrat in 2016, winning by single digits. He re-registered as a Republican the next year after holding a rally with then-President Donald Trump, and he overwhelmingly won re-election in 2020. Justice was term-limited from seeking re-election as governor this year.

Manchin, known as a centrist or moderate Democrat, was elected governor in 2004 and easily re-elected in 2008. 

The governor won a 2010 special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of longtime Democrat Sen. Robert Byrd. He won a full term in 2012 and narrowly won re-election again in 2018.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fox-news-projects-justice-victory-west-virginia-gop-flips-senate-seat