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Club for Growth Sends Justice a Message · Commentary - TJ Meadows

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  Speaker 1: Purveyors of Mountain State opinion, me included, have spent plenty
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  Speaker 1: of time lately talking about U.S. Senator Jim Justice potentially
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  Speaker 1: running for governor again in 2028. The scuttlebutt has intensified
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  Speaker 1: since Justice resolved the fight over the Greenbrier. Now Washington
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  Speaker 1: is taking notice too. The Club for Growth, an influential
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  Speaker 1: conservative organization with deep pockets, is making its position clear.
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  Speaker 1: Its president, David McIntosh, told me the club spent $ 13. 1
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  Speaker 1: million supporting Patrick Morrissey in his first run for governor.
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  Speaker 1: And McIntosh said, if Morrissey is challenged for re-election, the
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  Speaker 1: club is prepared to, quote, do what it takes to
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  Speaker 1: help him win again. Translation, if you challenge Morrissey, expect
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  Speaker 1: a very expensive fight. So why say that now? For starters...
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  Speaker 1: Sources tell me justice is getting closer to revealing his intentions.
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  Speaker 1: That could come very soon. And politics has a chill effect,
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  Speaker 1: if it's used in a timely manner. Sometimes the best
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  Speaker 1: way to defeat an opponent is to convince him not
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  Speaker 1: to become an opponent in the first place. Second, Morrissey
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  Speaker 1: is highly aligned with Club for Growth priorities. Taxes, spending,
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  Speaker 1: school choice, and limited government. and West Virginia is a
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  Speaker 1: cheap date politically. $ 13 million here buys a lot more
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  Speaker 1: political influence than it does in Ohio or Michigan or
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  Speaker 1: any other state. National organizations understand something else. Sometimes, the
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  Speaker 1: path to changing Washington runs through state houses. Move enough
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  Speaker 1: states in your direction, and eventually, you can move national
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  Speaker 1: policy too. Third, justice is is a clearing force. If
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  Speaker 1: he runs, other Republicans considering running against Morrissey may stay out.
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  Speaker 1: If Justice doesn't run, Morrissey could face several challengers, and
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  Speaker 1: a crowded primary generally changes the dynamics substantially in Morrissey's favor.
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  Speaker 1: But Justice versus Morrissey, one-on-one, that would be a major
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  Speaker 1: Republican primary battle, a tough election to win. Morrissey knows it.
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  Speaker 1: The club for growth knows it. Which makes McIntosh's statement
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  Speaker 1: look an awful lot like a shot across Justice's bow,
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  Speaker 1: delivered while Justice still has time to reconsider. Again, that message?
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  Speaker 1: Get in and be prepared for a multi-million dollar fight.
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  Speaker 1: Would that stop Justice? Maybe. But remember, these two have
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  Speaker 1: tangled before. The club backed Alex Mooney for Senate. Justice won.
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  Speaker 1: If Jim Justice has firmly decided He wants to be
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  Speaker 1: governor again, and nobody knows if he does. I'm skeptical
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  Speaker 1: outside spending alone changes his mind. As always, time will tell,
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  Speaker 1: but one thing is crystal clear. If the club for
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  Speaker 1: growth has its way, Patrick Morrissey will be a two-term governor.