West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday he plans to run for Democrat Joe Manchin's Senate seat in 2024.
Justice, who cannot legally seek a third consecutive term as governor, made the announcement on his 72nd birthday. He addressed a crowd in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, at a resort he owns.
Justice was elected as a Democrat, and switched affiliation to Republican seven months after taking office.
Manchin told NBC News' Meet the Press he will decide whether to run for his seat again at the end of the year, before the Jan. 15, 2024 filing deadline.
President Biden announces bid for second term
The 2024 election could be a rare rematch between a former president and sitting president.
Justice did not mention Manchin during his address.
Justice will also compete with five-term West Virginia U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, who announced he would run for the seat in November 2022.
No Democrats have announced a run for the seat.
Manchin's Senate seat is one of 33 at stake in regular elections in 2024, and the GOP appears well-positioned to flip it: Donald Trump won West Virginia in the 2020 presidential election, and the state as a whole is overwhelmingly Republican.
