The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a new ad this week accusing Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) of leaving West Virginians behind to support the liberal policies of Democrats in Washington, D.C.
The 30-second ad, titled "Say it Ain't So, Joe," is the NRSC's first West Virginia TV ad of 2018, highlighting what it describes as Manchin's transformation from "West Virginia Joe" to "Washington Joe."
The ad specifically talks about how the senator has changed over the years, saying he has became just another Washington Democrat and was a rubber stamp for the policies of former President Barack Obama. It mentions how he lived on a luxurious yacht while in Washington and opposed some of the key priorities of President Donald Trump, including tax cuts and building a wall at the southern U.S. border.
"When did it happen Joe? When did you change from West Virginia Joe to Washington Joe? When did you leave here for your $700,000 DC luxury yacht there?" the ad narrator said. "When did you choose your new friends Hillary [Clinton] and Obama? When did you decide to oppose tax cuts and building the wall? Joe Manchin’s no longer one of us."
NRSC spokesman Bob Salera castigated Manchin in a statement, saying he "betrayed" West Virginians by supporting the "worst policies of coal-killing liberals like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton."
"Joe Manchin has betrayed West Virginians by backing the worst policies of coal-killing liberals like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, while refusing to support President Trump on everything from tax cuts to building the wall," Salera said. "Manchin puts on a phony, folksy show when he’s back home, but the truth is that he stopped looking out for West Virginians a long time ago."
It is unclear how Manchin will vote for the upcoming confirmation of Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, despite Manchin praising him as a nominee who has "all the right qualities."
Manchin faces a difficult re-election battle this year against West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R.). Trump won West Virginia by nearly 42 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election.