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MARTINSBURG -- West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey already is thinking it's November.
Having roundly defeated U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and former coal mining executive Don Blankenship in West Virginia's U.S. Senate Republican primary Tuesday night, Morrisey set his political sights on U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in the Nov. 6 general election. He invoked Manchin's name close to a dozen times as "liberal Joe."
"West Virginia deserves better than Joe Manchin and Sen. Chuck Schumer," said Morrisey.
Morrisey defeated Jenkins and Blankenship, garnering 44,888 votes or 35.6 percent of the vote count, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office. Jenkins came in second, earning 35,286 votes, or 28.02 percent, followed by Blankenship, who tallied 25,403 votes, or 20.17 percent.
Other candidates included Tom Willis, with 12,771 votes for 10.04 percent; Bo Copley with 3,984 voted for 3.13 percent; and Jack Newbrough with 3,877 votes for 3.05 percent.
Morrisey also gave a short list of what he sees as his senatorial agenda, with battling the opioid epidemic at the top of the list.
"This is the challenge of our time," said Morrisey.
He also took shots at what he called the "Washington, D.C., elite," saying the beltway has ignored the Mountain State.
"For a long time, Washington, D.C., has flown over West Virginia and took on Joe Manchin with his rubber stamp of liberal values," said Morrisey.
"This is not the end, this is just the beginning," he said with his wife Denise by his side a the podium. "We are going to have a center that works for all of West Virginia, and we will ensure that West Virginia rises again."
In a lighter moment, Morrisey thanked President Donald Trump for his now famous tweet that exhorted West Virginia citizens to vote for either Morrisey or Jenkins instead of Blankenship.
"I would like to thank President Trump, your tweet was huge," said Morrisey. "He has come to the state four times, and each time it has been a tremendous boost. Maybe he can come a couple more times before November."
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Manchin easily has won the Democratic U.S. Senate primary, defeating challenger Paula Jean Swearengin.
With the win Tuesday, Manchin will seek a second six-year term in November. He'll try to hold onto his seat in a state that gave Republican President Donald Trump his largest margin of victory in 2016.
Manchin garnered 72.54 percent of the vote, while Swearengin totaled 27.46 percent, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State's office.
Both parties view November's election as key to Senate control for the next two years.
Manchin, the state's former governor, has held elected office in West Virginia for the better part of three decades.
Records show Manchin's campaign raised $4.5 million since the start of 2017. That included more than $935,000 in the first three months this year, more than five times the cash raised by Swearengin during her campaign.