Rep. Alex X. Mooney pummeled Rep. David B. McKinley by over 18 percentage points in the GOP primary for West Virginia’s redrawn 2nd District, an outcome that did not surprise their colleagues, who know how crucial an endorsement from former President Donald Trump can be for Republican candidates.
Just days before Tuesday’s primary, Mooney joined Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and other congressional candidates with the former president’s backing for a Trump rally in Greensburg, Pa., a little more than an hour from Mooney’s district. Kelly was struck by the eagerness and resilience rallygoers had to see Trump speak despite hours of waiting and constant rainfall.
“But I watched those people getting there at 11 o’clock in the morning in a pouring rain and standing there all day waiting to hear him talk — that’s hard to do,” Kelly said of Trump’s ability to command a crowd.
