If Rep. Alex Mooney wants voters in West Virginia to know one thing about his campaign, it's that he -- not his Republican primary opponent, Rep. David McKinley -- is the candidate backed by former President Donald Trump.
And Tuesday's incumbent-on-incumbent primary in a deep red state that overwhelmingly voted for Trump in 2020 is set to be a test of whether that is all that matters in today's Republican Party.The latest round of redistricting and West Virginia's shrinking population left the state with one fewer congressional district, forcing years-long colleagues McKinley and Mooney to run against each other.
"McKinley has responded by portraying Mooney as a Washington insider and labeling him a carpetbagger, noting that the Trump-backed candidate was a one-term state senator in neighboring Maryland from 2006 to 2010 and moved to West Virginia within the last decade.McKinley also has not run away from his infrastructure vote.