CHARLESTON — Joe Manchin will be returning to the U.S. Senate.
ABC, CNN and Fox all called the competitive U.S. Senate race for Manchin a little after 9 p.m.
The race pit incumbent Manchin, a Democrat, against Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican.
It drew national attention as a battleground race, key to the balance of the U.S. Senate. Manchin was widely considered to be one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the U.S. Senate.
Manchin has a long electoral history in West Virginia, having served as secretary of state, governor and senator.
Morrisey has twice won statewide election as Attorney General.
The race appeared to be tightening in the final week, with the MetroNews Dominion Post West Virginia Poll showing a margin of about five points.
Morrisey also was the beneficiary of repeat visits by President Donald Trump, with the most recent on Friday. West Virginia continues to give Trump the highest approval of any state in the country.
But national Republican support for Morrisey only went so far. Late last week, the Senate Leadership Fund dramatically scaled back its spending in support of Morrisey in West Virginia.
Throughout the campaign, advertisements focusing on Manchin and Morrisey saturated the airwaves.
Morrisey aligned himself with President Trump and attempted to tie Manchin to former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
He characterized Manchin as a “dishonest Washington liberal.”
Manchin’s campaign played off Morrisey’s upbringing in New Jersey, as well as his work history as a Washington lobbyist and Capitol Hill staffer.
Moreover, much of the advertising focused on Morrisey’s connections to the pharmaceutical industry, which is blamed for the spread of pain pills across the region, contributing to the opioid crisis.
