As May approaches, West Virginians have a choice to make as they decide who they want to represent their interests and values in the United States Senate. The choice is between me, conservative fighter Alex Mooney and Gov. Jim Justice. Can voters really trust Democrat-turned-Republican Jim Justice?

Jim Justice can’t be trusted because has a proven track record of supporting liberal policies. In 2020, he promised to sign into law the The Fairness Act, legislation that provides special privileges to transgender persons and strips West Virginians of their religious freedoms. The bill ultimately died after failing to receive enough support from Senate Republicans.

Then, in 2022, the former Democrat governor vouched for longer mask mandates following the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that school boards did a “heck of a good job” with strict mandates that impacted our children in harmful ways. His stance on mask mandates went directly against the wishes of parents in school districts across the state who said that they hold the right to make any health decisions regarding their children.

As a senator, I will always listen to parents and the good people of West Virginia. Unlike Jim Justice who has repeatedly supported President Biden’s liberal agenda, I have spent my career prioritizing the well-being of West Virginians by opposing the big-government COVID mandates in Congress. The government should have no place in personal health decisions made by private citizens and their doctors. Nor should the government dictate how parents make medical decisions for their children.

As a father of three, I know that parents have the right to make health decisions for their children. I understand the importance of a real education for children everywhere. In Congress, I demanded the Biden administration get kids back in school post-pandemic. I have backed legislation to preserve true American history in our children’s curriculum through the “Preserving American History Act” and “Stop CRT Act.” It should be clear to West Virginians which Senate candidate really has your values at heart.

In 2017, after campaigning on false promises to lower taxes, Jim Justice proposed the largest tax hike in West Virginia history. Justice also signed a bill raising the gas tax by 10 cents a gallon (SB 1006, 2017). For a conservative who masquerades behind a low-tax campaign, it’s inexcusable that Justice would support the multi-trillion dollar spending spree led by the Biden administration.But, in 2022, Jim Justice came out in support of President Biden’s American Rescue Act and (so-called) Inflation Reduction Act. Jim Justice justified his support for the extreme spending bills with classic Democrat spin, saying, “if we actually throw away some money right now, so what?” These Jim Justice-supported bills led to the skyrocketing inflation we all feel now and exploded deficit spending.

Jim Justice has let down the conservatives of West Virginia time and again with his RINO masquerade hiding his true liberal positions. I am a stark contrast to our former Democrat governor with a strong conservative record and principled leadership you can trust. For nearly 10 years, I have fought to defend West Virginians’ freedoms and values, and I will keep up the fight in the United States Senate.

Republican U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney represents West Virginia’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.