West Virginia’s Jim Justice to Delay Senate Swearing-In by 10 Days to Finish Governor’s Term

West Virginia Gov. and Sen.-elect Jim Justice in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, in a file image. Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Sen.-elect Gov. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) said Thursday that he will delay his swearing in as West Virginia’s junior senator to serve out the remainder of his time in office as governor of the state.

Justice, who is replacing outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), said he will be sworn in on Jan. 13 instead of Jan. 3, when the new Congress is sworn into office. Jan. 13 is also when Gov.-elect Patrick Morrisey, a Republican who is currently the state’s attorney general, will take office.

“My whole thinking behind all this is the continuity of government is essential during transitions,” Justice said in a press briefing on Thursday, adding that between Jan. 3 and Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump takes office, “there won’t be anything happening, really.”

During that 10-day time period, it’s unlikely that there will be any decisions made in the Senate that are “going to rise to the level of what could happen” in West Virginia, Justice said.

“I don’t think that West Virginia needs to have four governors in 10 days,” he added, referring to the state having several acting governors if Justice was sworn in as a senator on Jan. 3.

In a statement issued this month, incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Justice will be on four Senate committees, including Energy and Natural Resources; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; Aging; and Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

In mid-November, Thune was able to become Republican majority leader after beating out Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in a leadership race, months after longtime Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he was stepping down.

Republicans are slated to have a 53–47 majority when the new Congress convenes. The upper chamber will not make any decisions on Trump’s nominees for Cabinet roles and other positions in his administration until after he is sworn into office on Jan. 20.

Justice took advantage of Trump’s popularity in deep red West Virginia. Trump won the presidential race in the state by 42 percentage points in 2016, 39 points in 2020, and more than 51 percent in 2024.

Justice was elected as West Virginia’s governor as a Democrat in 2016 before he switched to the GOP seven months after entering office, taking the stage at an event with Trump to make the announcement.

When he’s sworn in as senator, it will mark the first time since 1958 that both of West Virginia’s U.S. senators are Republicans. The other is Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who was elected to a second term in 2020.

In a statement to multiple news outlets on Thursday, Capito said she respects Justice’s move to complete his second term as West Virginia’s governor.

“I am looking forward to serving with Senator Justice as there is much to do to advance President Trump’s agenda on behalf of all West Virginians,” she said.

Manchin, who has been in office since 2010, chose not to run again a year ago and switched from Democrat to independent earlier this year. Before he changed parties, Manchin was the only Democrat holding statewide office. Once considered one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, Manchin severed ties with the Democratic Party in May.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.