“Is it because he is so popular?”
Yes, Governor Manchin has a 77% approval rating. A recent Rasmussen poll shows him leading Moore Capito by a 53% to 39% margin.
It is not exactly BECAUSE he is Popular... you have to understand WHY he is more popular than Capito.
He is 100% rated by the NRA, RTL, FPC.
Shelly Moore Capito is a former chairwoman of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. Like her father, her voting record has been moderate/centrist; she has a lifetime rating of 69 from the American Conservative Union. She is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership (which supports stem-cell research) Republicans for Choice and The Wish List, (Women In the Senate and House), a group of pro-choice Republican Party (GOP) women. She is the only pro-choice member of West Virginia’s House delegation.
WV is 75% prolife within the DEMOCRAT party. Capito would be lucky to get that 39%.