EXCLUSIVE: Club for Growth launches new ad in West Virginia targeting Justice

The influential conservative group Club for Growth launched a new ad in West Virginia on Wednesday targeting Gov. Jim Justice (R), who’s running to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

“This is the definition of the swamp,” Justice says in the 30-second ad called “Deal,” which was first shared with The Hill.

“Jim Justice: The establishment’s handpicked candidate for Senate. Personally recruited by [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell,” a narrator in the ad continues. “Private texts, love letters and swamp-stained campaign cash. Payback for the 100K Justice’s family gave to help McConnell? A down payment on Justice’s loyalty. Who knows what deals were cut, but we do know Justice is McConnell’s man, not West Virginia’s.”

Club for Growth’s $9,000-backed ad buy is slated to run on Fox News and digitally across the Mountain State before, during and after Wednesday night’s 2024 GOP presidential debate.

The ad references a $100,000 contribution that Justice and his family made to Kentuckians for Strong Leadership (KSL), a super PAC formed to boost McConnell, in September 2014, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal. 

The Senate minority leader faced a challenge from Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in that year’s election, though he ultimately won his seat by double digits. 

Club for Growth is backing Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) in the Senate GOP primary to take on Manchin. Club for Growth Action and Protect Freedom PAC said in July they hauled in more than $13 million for Mooney.

But a source familiar pointed out that Club for Growth PAC also spent money in 2014 to boost McConnell. Club for Growth PAC spent at least $2,854 in support of the Kentucky Republican between Sept. 10, 2014 and Oct. 21, 2014, according to data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Descriptions of the expenses included “email costs” and “mail production costs.”

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans including Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chairman of the Senate GOP campaign arm, have largely rallied around Justice. McConnell, Daines and other GOP senators hosted a fundraiser for the governor in June, according to WV MetroNews. 

Manchin has said he will announce whether he plans to run for reelection later this year. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Manchin’s seat a “toss-up.”

Updated: 4:37 p.m. ET