President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE’s plea for West Virginia Republicans to reject the Senate candidacy of former mining CEO Don Blankenship came at the urging of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote GOP senator to try to reverse requirement that Pentagon remove Confederate names from bases No, ‘blue states’ do not bail out ‘red states’ MORE (R-Ky.), The New York Times reports.
McConnell urged the president in a phone call to speak out against Blankenship, a Republican official familiar with the call told the Times.
A White House official said Trump and McConnell spoke about Blankenship and the West Virginia Senate race, but added that the president was already planning to weigh in with a tweet days before the conversation.
Trump on Monday tweeted that Blankenship — who spent a year in prison for a mine safety violation after a fatal mine explosion — can’t win in the general election. He also suggested he does not want a repeat of the Alabama special Senate election, which saw Democrat Doug Jones defeat Republican Roy MooreRoy Stewart MooreSessions goes after Tuberville’s coaching record in challenging him to debate The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip Sessions fires back at Trump over recusal: ‘I did my duty & you’re damn fortunate I did” MORE in the deep-red state.
To the great people of West Virginia we have, together, a really great chance to keep making a big difference. Problem is, Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State…No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2018
Blankenship responded by saying that he is “Trumpier than Trump” and that the president doesn’t know him or understand how flawed his primary opponents are.
Internal Republican polls have Blankenship in the lead just one day before the West Virginia Senate primary, spurring national Republicans to make an eleventh-hour push against him.
An internal poll from one of Blankenship’s rivals had the ex-coal CEO slightly ahead, with 31 percent of the vote. Rep. Evan JenkinsEvan Hollin JenkinsWest Virginia New Members 2019 Republican Carol Miller holds off Democrat in West Virginia House race Trump to fundraise for 3 Republicans running for open seats: report MORE (R-W.Va.) had 28 percent of the vote and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was in third place with 27 percent of the vote.
On Monday, Blankenship touted his own internal poll that gave him 37 percent of the vote to Morrisey’s 20 percent and Jenkins’s 15 percent.
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Blankenship attacked the Washington establishment and McConnell in particular to argue that to “drain the swamp” West Virginia should elect him, “the most anti-establishment candidate in America.”
“You should know me by my enemies. [Former President] Barack ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaHarris grapples with defund the police movement amid veep talk Five ways America would take a hard left under Joe Biden Valerie Jarrett: ‘Democracy depends upon having law enforcement’ MORE, [Sen.] Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinTrump administration seeks to use global aid for nuclear projects Shelley Moore Capito wins Senate primary West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice wins GOP gubernatorial primary MORE [D-W.Va.] and Mitch McConnell. They are the enemies of Making West Virginia Great Again” he said.
Blankenship has also dubbed McConnell “cocaine Mitch” and in one TV ad targeted the senator’s “China family.”
The family of McConnell’s wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, emigrated from China and founded an international shipping company.
– Jordan Fabian contributed.
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