GREENBRIER COUNTY, WV (WOAY)- The balloons and the confetti have fallen, and the acceptance speech has been made. Governor Justice has been elected as West Virginia’s newest senator.
Just one minute after the polls closed, Jim Justice was notified he had won the race for Senate.
Justice, beat Glenn Elliott, the former mayor of Wheeling for the seat. Many cheers across the room as the screen show that it was called for Justice. Justice expressed he is humbled by the turnout.
“It’s humbling. It’s all there is to it, you know, I mean, I didn’t even do anything in the campaign. I said over and over and over the people of West Virginia, know me they can judge me by my deeds. That’s all there is to it,” said Gov. Jim Justice, candidate U.S. Senate. “For them to announce it’s one minute, one minute into it, it’s you know, it’s really humbling. Good people, good, unbelievable people in this state. We don’t need to ever forget that.”
Throughout the night, many people performed. One group even performed their song in honor of West Virginia’s first dog.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito told media early in the night that having a second Republican senator for West Virginia will benefit the state.
“What it means is it means a doubled-up voice. When we take control of the Senate as a party that means that, it’s hard for me to call him senator elect, which that’s a little premature, but Governor Justice and I will be a team,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. “That means that we will fight doubly hard for West Virginia. That means we’ll have a voice on environment and public works. Hopefully I’ll be the chair. We’ll have a voice on appropriations. I hope the governor is on energy, wants to get on finance. I mean, we can really, I think, be a much greater voice in Washington than what our small state would have.”
Justice is excited to take office in January.
“The way I did this all along, it’s going to be different. I can’t do this the way the way that it’s been done in D.C,” explained Justice. “I mean, I can’t do this. I’ve got to do this my way and really and truly my way has surely proven to be really fruitful.”
Check out Newswatch anchor Serena Davanzo live in Greenbrier County throughout the day:
