Morrisey beats Blankenship, Jenkins in West Virginia's GOP primary

Show Caption Hide Caption West Virginia GOP rejects former coal executive Former Coal Executive Don Blankenship, who called himself "Trumpier than Trump," finished third in West Virginia's Republican Senate Primary. President Trump opposed him. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey will face Democratic Senator Joe Manchin. (May 9)

WASHINGTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won his state's GOP Senate primary Tuesday, and Republicans elsewhere are finally exhaling.

Many Republicans, including President Trump, fiercely opposed the candidacy of ex-convict and former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, who served a one-year sentence on a misdemeanor conviction related to a mine explosion that killed 29 men.

Morrisey's win likely gives the GOP a better shot against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, who won his primary, in November’s general election. Morrisey beat Blankenship, along with Rep. Evan Jenkins.

Republicans hoping to expand their 51-seat Senate majority had feared Blankenship’s baggage could sink their general-election chances in a state Trump won in a landslide, with more than 68% of the vote. They desperately wanted to avoid another failure like Alabama’s special election in December, when the GOP’s nomination of a deeply flawed candidate — Roy Moore — cost them a Senate seat after allegations emerged that he sexually abused several teenagers.

“Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State...No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!” Trump tweeted on Monday.

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., told reporters he would donate to Manchin if Blankenship won. He said it’s not enough for Republicans to say they won’t support Blankenship, just because he can’t win a general election.

“We ought to say we will never support a candidate like that, even if he is our nominee,” he said on Monday.

West Virginia was one of four states with primaries Tuesday, including Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina. Republicans see pickup opportunities in West Virginia and Indiana, where Manchin and Sen. Joe Donnelly, respectively, are among the most vulnerable Democratic senators. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rates West Virginia and Indiana's Senate races “tossups” while Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's race in Ohio is competitive but leaning in his favor. North Carolina has no Senate race this year.

Several GOP candidates in Tuesday’s other primaries campaigned as outsiders, but Blankenship waged his primary bid for Senate while still on supervised release from prison. His sentence ended in May 2017, and his period of supervised release ends Wednesday, the day after the primary, according to court records.

Blankenship says he’s a victim of the “corrupt” Obama administration’s Justice Department, and he blamed the “establishment” for misinforming Trump about him. They don’t want him promoting the president’s agenda in the Senate, Blankenship said in his response to Trump.

"As some have said, I am Trumpier than Trump ..." Blankenship said.

Blankenship repeatedly attacked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after a super PAC with ties to McConnell spent more than $1.3 million on TV and digital ads to oppose Blankenship.

He made headlines with an ad saying the Kentucky Republican has gotten rich off his “China family,” a reference to the family of McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, the current secretary of Transportation. And he dubbed McConnell "Cocaine Mitch" because of a 2014 report that cocaine was discovered aboard a vessel owned by his father-in-law's company.

When the election results were announced, McConnell's Twitter account posted a picture of a smiling McConnell with the message, "Thanks for playing, @DonBlankenship." In the image, McConnell's face appears on the body of a character from the Netflix series "Narcos," surrounded by what appears to be cocaine.

Morrisey campaigned as a “conservative fighter” against former president Barack Obama’s agenda and a defender of the Second Amendment. In 2000, he ran for U.S. House in New Jersey, but lost.

Morrisey came under fire during the primary for his previous lobbying on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry. He's likely to face similar challenges in the general election.

"Now Morrisey will be forced to defend his lobbyist past and convince West Virginians that he isn’t beholden to special interests, despite taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from them," said David Bergstein, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Projected winners in other notable primaries include:

• Former state representative Mike Braun, the self-proclaimed Trump-like outsider who beat two congressmen — Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita — in Indiana’s GOP Senate primary.

• Greg Pence, a businessman, who won the GOP nomination for the Indiana House seat previously held by his brother, Vice President Mike Pence.

• U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, who was endorsed by Trump, won the GOP Senate primary in Ohio.

• Democrat Richard Cordray, former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a Republican, who won heated primaries in Ohio’s gubernatorial race.

• Mark Harris, pastor of First Baptist Church of Charlotte, who beat Rep. Robert Pittenger in North Carolina’s GOP primary. Pittenger is the first incumbent to lose in a 2018 primary.

Contributing: Eliza Collins, USA TODAY