The president has felt burned by Republicans when he injected himself into other races only to see his preferred candidates fall short. A victory by Mr. Blankenship would be highly embarrassing to Mr. Trump, coming on the heels of his inability to lift party nominees in Pennsylvania this year and in Alabama in December. In a wide-ranging call with Mr. McConnell on Sunday that was initiated by Mr. Trump, the president indicated he was willing to weigh in on the race. The president’s aides said he may record an automated call of his own against Mr. Blankenship. As a result, administration officials were not fully certain what Mr. Trump would do about the West Virginia race until the early morning tweet.

Source: New York Times May 07, 2018 13:40 UTC