Virginia
West Virginia Poll: Justice has edge in Senate race; Moore Capito out ahead in race for governor – WV MetroNews
In the race for U.S. Senate, Gov. Jim Justice has a strong advantage over Congressman Alex Mooney in the Republican primary and an edge over incumbent Joe Manchin in a possible General Election matchup.
And new polling shows that in the Republican race for governor, Delegate Moore Capito is leading a field that also includes Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, businessman Chris Miller and Secretary of State Mac Warner.
Those snapshots are according to the most recent MetroNews West Virginia Poll results released this morning at the annual business summit hosted by the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce.
The poll included 402 interviews with registered voters across all 55 counties from August 16 to 26. The confidence level is +/- 4.9 percentage points.
The poll shows Justice with 58 percent of the likely vote in the Republican primary for Senate, compared to Mooney’s 26 percent. Sixteen percent of Republican voters said they are not yet sure.
Justice has a narrower but still substantial lead over incumbent Democratic Senator Joe Manchin if they meet in the General Election, with Justice at 51 percent and Manchin at 38 percent. Eleven percent were not sure.
“I expected the governor to run strongly in our MetroNews West Virginia Poll against Alex Mooney, but he also is running strong against Joe Manchin,” said Rex Repass, president of Research America, which conducted the poll.
“We all know from following Joe Manchin’s career over the years that he can be and has historically been a strong candidate,” Repass said. “He is well-known, and I would expect that if that is the race it would tighten up considerably. But certainly Jim Justice has, at this early date, an advantage.”
If Manchin and Mooney are matched up, it could be a squeaker. In that case, 45 percent say they would vote for Manchin compared to 41 percent for Mooney. The remainder are unsure.
Mooney, a Charles Town resident, has been elected to Congress every cycle since 2014 and last year defeated fellow Republican incumbent David McKinley in a combined district across the northern counties of West Virginia.
Now Mooney is setting sights on Manchin.
“In that race, just because of the history that Joe Manchin has and the ability to win tight races even though West Virginia is a deep red state, I wouldn’t call it a toss up — and I think Alex Mooney might have the advantage because of the ideological position that most West Virginia voters take — but again given Joe Manchin’s historic strength statewide it could be a tight race,” Repass said.
Manchin has not yet said if he is running for Senate re-election. Manchin, first elected in 2012, has said he will reach a decision by late this year or early next year. He is frequently mentioned as a possible third party candidate for president.
A poll question asked respondents what Manchin should do next year.
A plurality, 40 percent, said he should retire from office. Yet 36 percent said he should run for another term in the Senate. And 24 percent said he should run for president as a third party candidate.
Of those who said Manchin should run as a third party candidate, eight in ten indicated they would be very or somewhat likely to vote for him.
The poll asked about job favorability for Justice and Manchin.
The results showed that approval ratings for Justice, a two-term governor, have gone down somewhat since 2021. That year, 61 percent of respondents said they approve of Justice. Now that number stating approval is 56 percent.
For Manchin, 42 percent of respondents in 2021 said they approve of his performance. Now, 51 percent of respondents say they approve.
“Looking at their job approval ratings, Governor Justice is down slightly and Senator Manchin is up, which could be a leading indicator of satisfaction versus a hypothetical race for Senate,” Repass said. “People do have strong opinions of Senator Manchin and Governor Justice. You don’t see a large ‘not sure’ category.”
In the multi-candidate Republican race for governor, the poll shows 32 percent favoring Capito, who is the House Judiciary chairman and son of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
Twenty-three percent favor Morrisey, who has served as Attorney General since 2013.
Nine percent favor Miller, an automobile dealer who is the son of Congresswoman Carol Miller.
Seven percent favor Warner, who has served as Secretary of State since 2017.
“I’d never underestimate Patrick Morrisey running for statewide office. He nearly upset Joe Manchin in the Senate race in 2018, and he’s run strong statewide in three elections (for Attorney General). So it’s early, and I also think Moore Capito has the advantage of the family name,” Repass said.
“It will be interesting as we go through the election season to see how the poll numbers change, how strategies are executed and how this could change over time.”
Many people are still deciding. Twenty-nine percent described themselves as “not sure” about the candidates for governor.
“The most important thing is the 29 percent who are really not sure,” Repass said. “So there’s an opportunity for all of these candidates to make some inroads either against Morrisey or against Moore Capito.”
At the top of ballots, 66 percent of respondents said they disapprove of the job being done by President Joe Biden, while 26 percent said they approve. Biden’s popularity in West Virginia has continued a downward trend since the last time the question was asked in 2021.
“Whether it’s handling of the economy, the inflation issue, interest rates, there is definite downward trend in terms of popularity of President Biden moving into an election year,” Repass said. “His negatives are up significantly.”
Former President Trump’s popularity has gone down somewhat in West Virginia, according to the poll.
Right now, 49 percent said they approve of Trump compared to 39 percent who said they disapprove. Twelve percent were unsure about Trump, who is the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president while also facing four criminal indictments.
In 2020, Trump’s approval in West Virginia was 56 percent.
“He obviously still has a lot of strength, a lot of support in West Virginia. But with his legal troubles, you do see a dip in overall satisfaction or favorability or approval of the job he is doing in terms of running for president in 2024,” Repass said. “So that’s starting to take a little bit of a toll perceptually on Trump in West Virginia.”
At 3-0 with marquee victories over #6 Missouri (23-10) and #21 Rutgers (26-11), as well as a second-place finish in the Keystone Open with just a handful of starters competing, Virginia Tech has swept through a tough November and is prepared for a difficult December.
The Hokies, #12 in Flo’s team tournament ratings but top 10 in various dual-meet rankings, are next scheduled for an annual trip to Las Vegas for the Cliff Keen Invitational, featuring 27 teams, of which 14 are among Flo’s top 25. And then it’s another trip west to Stillwater on Dec. 19 to challenge #5 Oklahoma State in a rare Thursday match.
The early key thus far for the Hokies has been the ability to win the bouts they’re supposed to win and grabbing a fair share of so-called toss-up bouts.
To wit, Tech’s #18 Sam Latona downing Missouri’s #13 Josh Edmond (4-2) at 141, or #25 Rafael Hipolito majoring the Tigers’ #32 James Conway (11-3) at 157 and #15 Jimmy Mullen stopping #20 Seth Nitzel (4-2) at heavyweight.
That trend continued at Tech’s Moss Arts Center match against #21 Rutgers when Latona used a late takedown to defeat Joey Olivieri 7-5, #4 Lennox Wolak pinned veteran Jackson Turley at 174 and #9 Andy Smith slipped past #17 John Poznanski 4-3 at 197.
Hokies coach Tony Robie only took a few regulars to the Keystone Open in Philadelphia and, led by championship efforts by #1-ranked Caleb Henson at 149 and heavyweight Hunter Catka, Tech placed second behind Lock Haven. Latona placed third at 141 and Sam Fisher did the same at 184.
Robie opted to use the Hokies’ roster as freshmen Dillon Campbell (125), Matt Henrich (157), Luke Robie (157) and Jack Bastarrika (133) competed as did redshirt juniors Jackson Spires (165) and Ty Finn (174). Spires placed second.
Who’s Ready For Change?
With legislation on the NCAA’s table affecting scholarship and roster limits — unlimited scholarships and a roster cap — as well as revenue sharing, some college wrestling programs likely have a serious dose of trepidation while others are confident they can deal with whatever happens.
Virginia Tech sits in the latter category.
“I have no concerns whatsoever about that,” Robie said earlier this month. “I think a lot of it probably will happen. It’s hard to say whether it’s good or bad for the sport; that’s not really for me to say. What I will say is you have to adjust with what the rules are and what the landscape of college athletics looks like, and that’s what we intend on doing.
“Is it good for the overall health of the sport of wrestling? The kid that’s the 35th kid on your roster? Probably not. But I think definitely there were probably some things that needed to change; the pendulum was starting to swing significantly the other way. At some point, it’ll probably start to go back to the middle.”
Robie said all anyone can do is wait for the final decisions.
“We have some contingency plans based on what we think is going to happen and we’ll move forward with our plan and try to execute it,” he said.
A Pretty Good Gig
Robie, in his eighth year as head coach, has been at Tech since 2006 and as each season passes, the commitment and enthusiasm remain the same.
“Well, you get to do what you like to do. And it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to coach wrestling for a living and be a part of a pretty good program, and work with some great people and try to affect the lives of the kids in your program,” he said.
“I think anybody would want to do that. For me, I’m not young anymore. I turned 50 … who knows how long I’m going to do it, but I’m going to give it the best I can while I’m doing it and hopefully continue to improve as a program and try to try to help these guys as much as possible. But it’s good, Virginia Tech’s a great place to work, it’s a great place to live. I’ve got a great staff and it makes my life pretty easy.”
With the game of year looming this weekend, members of the Virginia football team were made available to to the media after practice on Tuesday morning to talk about the regular season finale against Virginia Tech in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday night in Blacksburg. Watch the video below to hear what UVA senior safety Jonas Sanker, graduate tight ends Tyler Neville and Sackett Wood Jr., and graduate defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter had to say ahead of the Virginia Tech game:
Sanker is the team’s leader in tackles with 89 total tackles and also leads the ACC in solo stops with 60 unassisted tackles. He has racked up 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and an interception as part of a strong senior campaign that should earn Sanker some serious consideration for a First-Team All-ACC selection.
A transfer from Harvard, Tyler Neville is Virginia’s second-leading receiver with 35 catches for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Sackett Wood Jr., meanwhile, has recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown this season. Between the two of them, Neville and Wood have combined to appear in 83 college football games and make 48 starts.
Saturday will be the 55th game in the five-year career of Jahmeer Carter, who has started nearly every game for the last four seasons at Virginia. This season, Carter has 30 total tackles, including nine solo stops, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pass defender. For his career, Carter is up to 131 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 7.5 tackles for loss.
Saturday night will be the first time Virginia plays at Lane Stadium in front of fans since the 2018 season, as the 2020 edition of the Commonwealth Clash was played in front of only 250 fans due to COVID-19 restrictions and then the 2022 Virginia vs. Virginia Tech game was canceled due to the shooting tragedy at UVA.
Virginia is seeking its first road victory at Virginia Tech since 1998, as the Hokies have won the last 11 Commonwealth Clash games played at Lane Stadium. Virginia Tech has won 17 of the last 18 overall games against Virginia and leads UVA 61-38-5 in the all-time series that dates back to 1895.
Both Virginia and Virginia Tech bring a 5-6 overall record into the regular season finale and both need to win the game in order to reach the six-win threshold required for bowl eligibility. There is only one other game this weekend between FBS teams who are battling for bowl eligibility (Eastern Michigan vs. Western Michigan). Virginia and Virginia Tech played each other for bowl eligibility at the end of the 2014 season.
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The Virginia Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 26, 2024, results for each game:
Mega Millions
Mega Millions drawings take place every week on Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m.
05-22-24-39-42, Mega Ball: 03, Megaplier: 3
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 7-3-0, FB: 2
Day: 7-2-1, FB: 5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 1-6-6-8, FB: 5
Day: 7-4-5-8, FB: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 5
DAY drawing at 1:59 p.m. NIGHT drawing at 11 p.m. each day.
Night: 0-5-4-9-9, FB: 2
Day: 6-9-5-3-2, FB: 0
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash4Life
Drawing everyday at 9 p.m.
04-11-13-30-39, Cash Ball: 02
Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash Pop
Drawing times: Coffee Break 9 a.m.; Lunch Break 12 p.m.; Rush Hour 5 p.m.; Prime Time 9 p.m.; After Hours 11:59 p.m.
Coffee Break: 04
After Hours: 05
Prime Time: 06
Rush Hour: 09
Lunch Break: 12
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Cash 5
Drawing every day at 11 p.m.
12-22-31-38-44
Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Center for Community Journalism (CCJ) editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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