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Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says Brett Kavanaugh has "all the right qualities" to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Manchin's comments regarding President Donald Trump's nominee to the high court came during an interview on West Virginia's MetroNews' "Talkline" radio show on Wednesday. An excerpt of the interview is posted on the MetroNews Twitter account. "He has all the right qualities," Manchin said. "He's well-educated and, with that, we have to just look at making sure that the rule of law and the Constitution is going to be followed and that's going to basically preempt anything else he does."

The Senate on Wednesday took a symbolic shot at President Trump’s trade policy amid anxiety on Capitol Hill over his tariff strategy. Senators voted 88-11 to instruct lawmakers hashing out a deal on a government funding bill to include language “providing a role for Congress” on tariffs implemented for national security reasons, known as Section 232 of the trade laws. The vote is nonbinding, meaning lawmakers don’t have to add trade language into the funding bill. But the vote margin, with more senators supporting it than the amount needed to override a veto, underscores the depth of concern on Capitol...

A new poll shows that voters in battleground states represented by vulnerable Senate Democrats decisively want President Donald Trump’s nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, to replace Anthony Kennedy in the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS)... The poll conducted by the Tarrance Group between July 5 and 8 revealed that voters agree by a decisive margin of at least 12 percent that their senators should confirm the SCOTUS appointment Trump announced Monday night. After explaining that the U.S. Senate will vote on the president’s appointment to replace Justice Kennedy, it asked voters, “Do you think Senator [Nelson, Donnelly, McCaskill, Heitkamp, or...

Judge Brett Kavanaugh is going to be a weeks-long torment for some on the Hill—and I’m talking about red state Democrats. Senate Republican moderates Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have been very receptive to Kavanaugh’s nomination, easing pressure from the right that they could sink this SCOTUS nominee if they defect. That could be the case, but for now, pressure has ramped up on Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), and maybe Bill Nelson (D-FL). Nelson needs help. Republican Gov. Rick Scott is outworking him on Hispanic outreach, and he’s beating Nelson...

A trio of red-state Democratic senators have turned down invitations to attend President Trump's announcement of his nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) were invited but declined to attend the event at the White House at 9 p.m. Monday. Donnelly said in a statement that he declined so that his first meeting with Trump's pick will be "in a setting where we can discuss his or her experience and perspectives." "I appreciate the President inviting me to attend tonight's announcement at the WH. I look...

When it comes to political handicapping, the easiest thing to do would be to put all of the most competitive contests into the Toss-up category and declare them too close to call. Or to argue that because Donald Trump was elected president against the projections, it’s not worth rating any races at all. But that’s not particularly helpful to people looking for some direction and distinctions in congressional elections. The prevailing narrative about this year’s Senate races relates to the 10 Democratic senators running for re-election in states Trump carried in 2016. But not all of those senators are created...

WASHINGTON — Democratic senators running for re-election in red states where President Donald Trump remains popular face an agonizing choice over his coming Supreme Court nominee: Vote to confirm the pick and risk demoralizing Democratic voters ahead of the midterm elections, or stick with the party and possibly sacrifice their own seats — and any chance at a Democratic majority in 2019. The actions of a handful of Senate Democrats struggling to hold their seats in those states — notably Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — will have broad implications...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The opening on the Supreme Court has created a dilemma for Democratic senators up for re-election this year in the states that President Donald Trump won in 2016. The choice on whether to support the upcoming nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy will be a test for several Democrats in tough races. It could be particularly difficult for Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and West Virginia's Joe Manchin.

Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill suffered a broken rib after choking at a Senate lunch Thursday, where her Senate colleague Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, performed the Heimlich maneuver to save her. The story was first reported by The Washington Post. "She started choking. People cough, you think, well. And then started getting real red. 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe,' " Manchin said Monday. "I was big enough and tall enough to get some leverage on her and pick her up off her feet. I kept jerking and jerking and jerking until she said, 'You're hurting me now.' "...

CHARLESTON — Suspended West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Allen Loughry was arrested by the FBI Wednesday morning and will face 22 federal charges after a grand jury meeting in Charleston indicted him Monday. Loughry will face charges including mail fraud, wire fraud, witness tampering and lying to federal agents. The indictments had been sealed and weren't acted upon until Wednesday, when federal agents showed up at his house at about 7:30 a.m. U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart announced the charges during a press conference at the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston.

A father and son may yet rue the day when an inflatable bounce house came into their lives, should it lead to an extended stay at the “big house.” In a press release, United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia Bill Powell announced federal grand jury indictments of Sergeant First Class Shane Morgan with the West Virginia Army National Guard and Master Sergeant (retired) Russell Morgan.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Wednesday he regretted endorsing failed 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, adding he would be "open" to throwing his weight behind President Trump's 2020 re-election bid. “I’m open to supporting the person who I think is best for my country and my state. If his policies are best, I’ll be right there,” Manchin told Politico Wednesday. “I’m with him sometimes more than other Republican senators are with him,” he continued later in the interview. “A lot of the policies he’s done [have] been good for the state.” Manchin recalled how Clinton asked him whether she...

The Boy Scouts will reportedly provide condoms at the upcoming World Scout Jamboree. The World Organization of Scouting Movement handbook requires the host organization to “ensure that condoms are readily and easily accessible for all participants and [International Service Team staff] at a number of locations on the site.” The 2019 World Scout Jamboree will be held in West Virginia from July 21 to Aug. 1. The theme is “Unlock a New World.” The World Jamboree is an official World Organization of the Scout Movement event. The Boy Scouts are co-hosting this year’s program with two other scouting organizations, Scouts...

Don Blankenship, who was defeated in his maverick bid for the Republican nomination to run for Senate in West Virginia, said Monday he’ll run as a third party candidate in November, tossing the race in turmoil. Mr. Blankenship said he has accepted the nomination of the Constitution Party, saying it was a natural fit for his views — and suggested he was out for vengeance against President Trump’s political team. “This time, we won’t get surprised by the lying establishment,” he said. “We were assured by White House political staff that they would not interfere in the primary election. Obviously,...

. Former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, who finished third in the West Virginia Republican Senate primary, plans to run for West Virginia Senate as a third-party candidate. Blankenship announced on Monday he’d run as the Constitution Party nominee, Politico reported. He said he’s willing to challenge the state’s “sore loser” law that would prohibit him from running in the general election since he already lost a major party’s nomination. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won the GOP nod May 8 to take on Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III in November. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race a...

Don Blankenship isn’t done being a thorn in the side of the GOP. The ex-con former coal baron announced Monday morning that he plans to run as the Constitution Party’s nominee for Senate, a move that could damage his former party’s chances at defeating Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) if he’s able to actually get on the ballot.

. President Trump is making Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) a top target this fall, underlining his drive to protect the GOP’s Senate majority even it if means going after a relatively friendly Democrat. Trump told Republican senators in a closed-door meeting Tuesday that he plans to spend significant time campaigning against Manchin, who represents a state won by the president over Hillary Clinton by 42 points. One GOP senator said Trump promised to visit the state “several times.”

After Tuesday's West Virginia primary, red-state Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is now trailing Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey by two points in his re-election race, according to a new poll conducted by WPA intelligence. Why it matters: That's within the margin of error, but the poll is a sign that the GOP has improved its chances of defeating Manchin since Don Blankenship lost the primary this week. Manchin is in an especially vulnerable position given that President Trump won West Virginia by 42 points 2016. Meanwhile, several Republican leaders and outside groups are looking to West Virginia as a sign...

Tuesday’s Republican and Democratic primaries in West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina provided some clues about what to expect in the upcoming November midterm elections – including warning signs for Democrats. In West Virginia, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey emerged as the Republican senatorial nominee in a contentious primary marked by the unusual candidacy of the controversial former coal executive Don Blankenship. Blankenship was convicted and sent to prison for a year for his role in a coal mine explosion that killed 29 workers in 2010. The surprising popularity of Blankenship in pre-election polling – despite his loss Tuesday –...

Sen. Dean Heller is the only Republican running for re-election in a state Hillary Clinton won in 2016. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo) Senate Democrats are still defending 10 states that President Donald Trump won in 2016, but six months out from Election Day, the most vulnerable senator remains a Republican. Nevada Sen. Dean Heller no longer faces a primary threat, but he’s the only Republican up for re-election in a state Hillary Clinton won, and in this national environment that’s a tricky place to be. The Democrats’ odds of flipping a few GOP-held open seats in Arizona and...