National Republicans are airing ads for the May 8 GOP primary against notorious West Virginia coal baron Don Blankenship, whom they fear is unelectable against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, and now, a Democratic group is trying to help Blankenship get nominated.
A new super PAC called Duty and Country has launched what Politico says is a $380,000 ad buy that targets each of Blankenship's main rivals, Rep. Evan Jenkins and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, while conspicuously not mentioning Blankenship. The group shares the same address as Senate Majority PAC, and its treasurer is former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, who prosecuted Blankenship over the deaths of 29 workers in the 2010 Upper Big Branch Mine explosion.
Their anti-Jenkins ad argues that when he was head of the state medical association, he "pushed West Virginian doctors to use an insurance company that overcharged for services" because he got money from the deal. Their spot against Morrisey hits the attorney general as "a millionaire New Yorker and former lobbyist" who doesn't understand West Virginia. The narrator encourages Morrisey to run for senator of New York instead. Jenkins and Morrisey have been on the receiving end of plenty of negative ads from each other and from Blankenship, but we believe this is the first time they've been attacked over these stories on TV.
Blankenship is also out with yet another commercial that ties himself to Donald Trump as closely as possible, mentioning all the Trump priorities he supports. Trump himself is not aboard the U.S.S. Blankenship, and a few weeks ago, he invited Jenkins and Morrisey to a rally while snubbing the third candidate.