HUNTINGTON, W.Va.—President Donald Trump said Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh “doesn’t count,” because the senator waited to back Trump’s Supreme Court pick until after it was clear Republicans had enough votes.
“Joe will never be with us in terms of the vote,” Trump said at a Nov. 2 rally in Huntington, West Virginia. “He’ll be with us in a lot of ways. We’ll go to dinner with him. We’ll take him out. We’ll like him. But he’s never going to vote for us.”
Manchin earned praise from some Republicans for his vote to confirm Kavanaugh. But on the key procedural vote on Oct. 5, Manchin disappeared from the floor and only returned to cast his vote after Republicans already had enough to get Kavanaugh through.
Trump described a conversation with the senator: “I said, ‘Joe, that doesn’t count!’”
Trump’s snub strikes Manchin where it hurts, since the senator has tried to court Trump supporters in a state that the president carried by more than 40 points.
Patrick Morrisey
Morrisey, the state’s attorney general, is running on a conservative platform backing Trump’s agenda. He previously worked as a lobbyist in Washington, with several pharmaceutical firms among his clients, including Novartis, which has been partly blamed for the massive spread of prescription opioids. West Virginia has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.
The RealClear Politics average of polls in the West Virginia race show Manchin with a lead of 8.7 percent, although Morrisey in recent days has had the momentum, closing the gap.
Trump expressed confidence in Morrisey.
“If he ever voted against us, I’ll come back here, I’ll say, ‘We’re going to impeach him! Impeach.’ We’re going to impeach Patrick,” Trump said. “He’ll never do it. He loves the people too much. He loves your industry too much. He understands the state too well.”
Trump highlighted the importance of the race, saying it may decide the balance of power in the Senate.
“The whole country is watching the great state of West Virginia,” he said. “It’s going to be a very exciting vote.”
Carol Miller
In the House races, Trump stumped for West Virginia Republican Carol Miller, who leads in polls against Democrat Richard Ojeda for the 3rd District.The seat was vacated on Sept. 30 by Republican Evan Jenkins, who went on to become Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
Miller, a state legislator, “has done a fantastic job,” Trump said. Miller has closely aligned herself with Trump.
Last Push
Trump has been on a breakneck pre-election push, scheduling nine rallies in four days—the last three on Nov. 5 in Cleveland; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
His comments about Manchin reflect a broader theme of warning against red-state Democrats, who seem willing to align with Trump in rhetoric, but, he says, won’t give him the votes when the time comes to enact his agenda.
