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The sky is falling! That’s what Chicken Little said because it was unbelievable. If you told us Joe Manchin would be endorsing Republicans in his own state, we would have said that’s impossible. Well, the impossible just happened.

Last week Manchin, who recently was rated America’s most popular Senator, threw his endorsement behind Republican House candidate David McKinley in the Republican primary with a big-dollar endorsement video, a move that’s all but unheard of in the modern day.

The video was in response to allegations from McKinley’s primary opponent, Alex Mooney, that McKinley is a Republican in Name Only (RINO)

Senator Manchin opens his video by saying, “I’ve always said if I can’t go home to explain it, I can’t vote for it. And that’s why I opposed Build Back Better.” Manchin made headlines last year when he killed Biden’s signature Build Back Better bill multiple times.

“For Alex Mooney and his out-of-state supporters to suggest David McKinley supported Build Back Better is an outright lie,” the Senator continued. “David McKinley has always opposed reckless spending, because it doesn’t make sense for West Virginia.”

“Alex Mooney has proven he’s all about Alex Mooney. West Virginians know David McKinley is all about us.”

McKinley’s opponent Alex Mooney, who has received the backing of former President Donald Trump, fired back, “Further proof David McKinley is a complete and total RINO. Democrat Joe Manchin is endorsing him.”

David McKinley was one of 35 House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Trump after the Jan 6 riots. He also voted in favor of Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill in 2021.

Trump also weighed into the fight last week, releasing a statement endorsing Mooney and saying that McKinley “is a RINO who supported the ‘Unfrastucture Bill’ and the Sham January 6 Unselect Committee.”

Mooney has outraised McKinley by $3 million so far this election cycle. Despite the fundraising advantage, a poll from the end of March conducted by North Star Opinion Research and sent to the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce showed McKinley with a slight advantage in the 5-way primary. The poll revealed that McKinley lead Mooney 38% to 33% at the time with 25% of voters still undecided. The election is scheduled for May 10th of this year.