|Photo by Emma Delk| Rep. Alex Mooney spent Wednesday in Wheeling, attending an economic development roundtable with the Regional Economic Development agency at the White Palace.

U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney believes he can pull ahead of Gov. Jim Justice to win the Republican nomination in West Virginia for U.S. Senate in the same way he rallied to defeat former U.S. Rep. David McKinley in the 2022 congressional race.

Mooney, R-W.Va., noted in initial polls during his last House race he was “losing by a lot” but then turned the race around to win by 19 percentage points.

“Jim Justice is the governor and better known than me throughout the state, but he’s actually liberal,” explained Mooney. “I’m actually conservative.

“By the time I’m finished talking with Republican voters on the ground, they’re voting for me because most Republicans who vote in primaries want an actual conservative Republican, not someone who votes with the Democrats,” he added.

Fresh off of a development roundtable with the Regional Economic Development Partnership held at Wheeling Park’s White Palace, Mooney saw many issues that he believes separate him from Justice reflected in the discussion.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, which Mooney wants to repeal, was brought up during the roundtable when talking about the hospitals in Wheeling. Mooney is critical of Justice for “supporting government-run health care.”

“There are all these hospitals here, and Obamacare creates all these healthcare regulations,” noted Mooney. “I think we should repeal Obamacare because it’s government intervention.”

Saying the area has “good hospitals” in the form of WVU Medicine Wheeling and Reynolds Memorial hospitals, Mooney saw a “very high quality of life in the area.”

“It’s a great opportunity to live in a city where you have good doctors around and good health care,” added Mooney. “Looking at some bigger issues for the area, we have to make sure to support our police so crimes stay under control as well.”

Also talking energy during the meeting, Mooney said he has been working to ensure oil and gas can “continue to be sold at a profitable rate.” He added that he has faced a “lot of struggle” when it came to federal pushback while trying to get pipelines built.

Mooney was reminded of another campaign issue during the roundtable — illegal immigration between Mexico and the United States. With resorts in the state, such as Oglebay, relying on seasonal workers that “come and go nine months a year,” Mooney noted he was “all for legal immigration.”

However, he believes that under Joe Biden’s presidency, the security between the U.S. and Mexico border was “out of control.”

“There are legal ports of entry, so if you have a case, come here legally,” said Mooney. “Running across the border and ignoring the rule of law is a problem.”

Believing what separates him from Gov. Justice is that he is “the only conservative running talking about actual positions and views,” Mooney said his opponent has used personal attacks against him “over and over again.”

“The American Conservative PAC spent a million dollars attacking me while the group that’s supporting me talks about some of Jim Justice’s positions on the issues,” noted Mooney. “I’m going to continue to talk about the issues that matter to West Virginians.”

After serving five terms in the House of Representatives, Mooney believes he understands how legislation works at a federal level, allowing him to “push conservative reforms that won’t bankrupt our country.”

Adding that he was proud to be endorsed by Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul, Mooney said, “The establishment is behind my opponent.”

Leaving Wheeling Wednesday morning, Mooney wants to hit the southern parts of the state in future campaign stops as he has “never represented down south.” Believing this will help bridge the polling gap between him and Justice, Mooney has found the southern third of the state “just as conservative as everybody else and people of faith.”

“Frankly, our faith is under attack in many ways in this country,” finished Mooney. “We are a country of Judeo-Christian values that’s made us the greatest country the world has ever seen, along with our freedom.

“So I’ve been thinking I’ll get a very good response there.”