FIRST ON FOX: Representative Alex Mooney, RW.Va., his state’s U.S. Senate candidate, welcomed Gov. Jim Justice to the primary race on Thursday with a new ad disparaging the newcomer for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice, who officially launched his bid to win the seat currently held by Sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., earlier today, was first elected governor in 2016 and has led West Virginia through the pandemic years with largely mixed reviews from fellow Republicans.
One West Virginia Republican who praised justice throughout his efforts to fight the coronavirus was Mooney himself. However, in an ad posted after Justice’s campaign kicked off, the four-term congressman reversed his previous views on the governor’s job performance, criticizing him for what he called his “liberal record.”
“Jim Justice is trying to hide his liberal record. As governor, Justice destroyed businesses and lives when he locked down our state. And Big Jim pushed for the biggest tax hike in West Virginia history, backed Joe Biden’s trillion-dollar spending bill, and tried to stop adults from buying sporting rifles,” the ad reads.
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“Now Big Jim wants to be your senator, but he can’t hide the truth. Liberal Jim Justice simply cannot be trusted,” he added.
Contrary to the announcement, Mooney has previously praised the justice for its handling of COVID-19, including appearing alongside it at a press conference providing an update on the government’s response. Pandemic status in August 2020.
“Thank you, Governor, and your team for your leadership at this important time,” Mooney said at the press conference, before continuing to praise business loan funding to keep them in business during the pandemic, and for the opportunity for parents to send their children for in-person learning at school.
Mooney once again praised justice on another occasion in August 2020 during a press conference with then-Vice President Mike Pence regarding the fight against the pandemic.
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Rep. Alex Mooney, RW.Va., (left) and Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (right). (Getty/AP Photo/Chris Jackson)
“Our governor has come up with a system that works for West Virginia. It may be different for different states. Frankly, it’s different for different parts of our state. You know, southern West Virginia has different issues than northern begging. So we need flexibility. I appreciate the flexibility. I appreciate having a governor with whom we can talk about our congressional districts and what we need. So thank you for that. Both of you thank you for what you are doing there,” Mooney said.
After the pandemic began, Mooney also signed a letter to then-President Donald Trump from the entire West Virginia congressional delegation in support of Justice’s declaration of disaster in response.
A spokesperson for Mooney’s campaign, however, pushed back against any suggestion that the congressman was fully supportive of pandemic Justice measures when asked by Fox News Digital about apparent differences in attitude from yesterday to today. today.
“In Washington, Alex Mooney has consistently co-sponsored and passed legislation to end the national COVID-19 emergency and rescind vaccine and mask mandates,” campaign manager John Findlay said. “Mooney only supported COVID measures in the very first weeks of the pandemic. He has been one of the oldest and most consistent voices against tough lockdowns and draconian COVID mandates.
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Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with West Virginia Governor Jim Justice, who announced at the rally that he would switch parties from Democrat to Republican, at a Make America Great Again rally in Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia on August 3, 2017. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
“Meanwhile, Governor Jim Justice has backed trillions in unnecessary COVID-19 spending, decreed tough lockdowns, and made West Virginia one of the last states to end the state of COVID-19 emergency,” he added. “Justice has actively sought ways to maintain the COVID-19 state of emergency in West Virginia, while Mooney has worked to help West Virginians get back to normal life – it’s quite the contrast.”
Justice, who left the Democratic Party and became a Republican in 2017, took a less aggressive approach than other Republicans across the country in ending measures put in place to fight COVID-19 in his state, including on vaccines and masks.
In March 2021, Justice defended West Virginia’s mask mandate and pushed back on calls to end the restriction. “I don’t know what the big rush is to get rid of the masks. These masks save lives,” he told CNN. “We’re going to do the smart thing in West Virginia. We are not going to do what is politically correct.
He repeated that sentiment in another interview that month, asking West Virginians to be more “cautious” for a little longer.
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Rep. Alex Mooney, RW.Va., attends a campaign rally at the Westmoreland Fair Grounds in Greensburg, Pennsylvania on May 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
In July 2021, while advocating for West Virginia to take the COVID-19 vaccine, he told those who weren’t yet vaccinated that they were “part of the problem”, and then pushed back on the claim of the President Biden of September 2022 that the pandemic was “over.”
“I don’t think the pandemic is over,” Justice told members of the West Virginia media, according to MetroNews. “I think we can live with this pandemic, but the longer we can get across the finish line and get vaccinated, the better we can live with this pandemic. It is not finished. It’s absolutely not over. »
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Campaign for comment, but did not receive a response.