Mr. Blankenship, who during the primary attacked Senator Mitch McConnell’s family in racially charged language, would likely have been abandoned by Senate Republicans had he won the nomination. Mr. Morrisey, who first made his name by suing the Obama administration, will enjoy the full support and financing of the national party. Less immediately consequential, but still significant, was the role Democrats played in the state’s Republican primary, as a liberal super PAC linked to Washington strategists aggressively attacked Representative Jenkins. Washington Republicans believed that Mr. Pittenger would again ward off Mr. Harris, and they offered the incumbent no assistance. But it turns out he also needed an intervention: Mr. Harris won the primary by fewer than 1,000 votes.

Source: New York Times May 09, 2018 09:00 UTC