By Harshawn Ratanpal for OpenSecrets.
Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the OpenSecrets-Public News Service Collaboration

The race to replace Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has heated up since the 76-year-old moderate announced he won't be running for reelection.

Outside groups have spent $4 million on the Republican primary since Manchin's Nov. 9 announcement, more than triple what they spent in the seven months before. In total, super PACs have spent over $5.1 million on the race so far.

Rep. Alex Mooney and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice are both running for the Republican nomination. The general election was ranked a toss-up by the Cook Political Report before Manchin's exit but has since turned into a solid red seat, meaning the winner of the Republican primary is favored to win the general election too. While there have not been any polls since Manchin's announcement, the latest from Emerson College predicted in October that Justice would outperform Mooney.

Last week, a previously inactive super PAC called Defend American Jobs dropped $1.5 million into the race on a media buy for Justice. The group raised $4.7 million last year, according to OpenSecrets' analysis of a campaign finance disclosure filed Jan. 29. Coinbase and Ripple Labs, two cryptocurrency companies, each contributed $1.5 million. Another $1.5 million was contributed by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.

Defend American Jobs is affiliated with Fairshake, a Florida-based crypto-focused super PAC that has spent money supporting both Democrats and Republicans in over a dozen House races across the country late last year. On Jan. 31, Fairshake disclosed to the Federal Election Commission that it had $67 million on hand at the start 2024. The group gave $150,000 to Defend American Jobs last year.

Fairshake's website says it "supports candidates committed to securing the United States as the home to innovators building the next generation of the internet," and Axios reports an operative of the group says it supports candidates who are "pro-innovate, pro-responsible regulation, pro-crypto, pro-blockchain technology."

The only public action or statement by Justice regarding cryptocurrency seems to be in 2017, when the then-Democrat Justice signed a bill into law that defined cryptocurrency and made it illegal to use it to launder money in West Virginia.

Despite the recent spending surge for Justice, Mooney has received more support from super PACs in total. Since April, groups have spent $2.7 million supporting the five-term representative or opposing the governor, with $1.6 million of that spent between Manchin's November announcement and the end of 2023.

Conservative advocacy group Club for Growth is the top spender boosting Mooney with $2.1 million supporting him or opposing Justice. The group announced last July that its super PAC and the Protect Freedom PAC had raised more than $13 million to support Mooney's bid for Senate.

Mooney is also endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund, which has spent $220,000 supporting him.

Justice has attracted much less super PAC support, especially before Manchin dropped out. Before November, the only outside spending supporting Justice was $75,000 from More Jobs, Less Government, a super PAC that has primarily spent money on races in Montana. Its top donor last election cycle was the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC dedicated to electing Republicans to the House of Representatives.

After Manchin's announcement, Justice garnered support from the Conservative Americans PAC, a group that received millions from conservative dark money groups ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. The Conservative Americans PAC was called a "pop-up" super PAC in 2022, as it launched shortly before many races, allowing it to forgo disclosing its donors until after multiple primaries. The group spent $883,000 supporting Justice and opposing Mooney in the last two months of 2023.

Justice's campaign committee raised more money than Mooney's during 2023. But by the end of the year, Mooney had more money on hand than Justice because he transferred over $1 million from his House campaign committee. If Justice needs more cash, he could dip into his own wealth, which he did in both his 2016 and 2020 runs for governor.



Harshawn Ratanpal wrote this story for OpenSecrets.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.


get more stories like this via email

Ohio lawmakers are exploring ways to address the state's looming retirement crisis.

According to The Pew Charitable Trusts, if the personal retirement savings situation remains unchanged, Ohio could expect to see a more than $11 billion increase in state spending over the next two decades.

House Bill 501 would create a Joint Legislative Study Committee tasked with studying retirement options for small businesses and state-facilitated workplace programs to improve access to retirement savings.

Amy Milam, associate state director of outreach and advocacy for AARP Ohio, said people are more likely to save for their golden years when they can do so by having a percentage of their paycheck deducted.

"In Ohio, we have 42% of Ohio's private sector workers -- that's roughly 1.8 million people -- who do not have access to a retirement savings plan through their employer," Milam reported.

Nationwide, around 64% of Hispanic workers, and 45% of Asian American workers lack access to an employer-provided retirement plan. According to an AARP report, almost three of four workers with less than a high school diploma lack a work-based retirement plan, a much higher percentage than those with a bachelor's degree.

Milam added more than a dozen other states have created partnerships with employers to offer state-sponsored plans to give employees access to Individual Retirement Accounts.

"Giving employees a simple way to save for retirement on the job means that fewer Ohioans will need to rely on public assistance later in life," Milam emphasized. "Which will benefit the individual and will also benefit the state by saving taxpayer dollars."

In some states, investment companies have pushed back on state-sponsored plans, seeing them as competition. But a 2023 survey by AARP found 92% of Ohio business owners support legislation creating a public-private retirement savings option for workers.

UPDATE: A response has been added from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. (2:02 p.m. PDT, May 14, 2024)


A new study showed the flame retardants used in the seats of many cars emit toxic gases, and recommended the federal government reevaluate its flammability standards.

Researchers at Duke University and the Green Science Policy Institute in Berkeley studied the air and foam from 101 cars model year 2015 and newer, and found traces of two carcinogens on California's Prop. 65 list of harmful chemicals.

Robert Herrell, executive director of the Consumer Federation of California, called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or state officials to act.

"We would hope that the relevant federal authorities would take a look at this," Herrell urged. "They have indicated that they're aware of this study, they're reviewing it. In some cases, California chooses not to wait necessarily for the feds to act, and we can try to act ahead of that."

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation said in a statement, "Automakers are committed to sustainability and include approved flame retardants in all passenger vehicles to meet the flammability standards required by the federal government to reduce...deaths and injuries to motor vehicle occupants caused by vehicle fires."

The study, in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, found the chemicals are released into the air two to five times more often in the summer when the car is hot. It recommended people park in the shade, air out their cars before getting in and avoid using the recirculated air feature in their vehicles.

Herrell noted his group fought to get the government to require furniture manufacturers to phase out similar flame retardants.

"Historically, the auto industry has really lagged behind on safety and consumer protection issues," Herrell asserted. "More often than not, they've been sort of dragged kicking and screaming into the modern age."

The flame retardants at issue do not prevent burning but they slow a fire's progression. Many fires starting inside cars begin with a dropped cigarette, so some experts have suggested the feds update flammability standards with a new anti-smoldering requirement, which could be met without the use of these types of chemicals.


get more stories like this via email

Supply chain disruptions mean consumers who need prescriptions filled in Indiana and around the country are running into roadblocks.

Parents and caregivers have limited options, as the availability of generic medications is running low. There are several causes: Inoperable manufacturing plants cause production delays and back orders pile up. A key pharmaceutical ingredient needed to make a certain medicine has been discontinued, causing additional problems.

Veronica Vernon, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Butler University, called the situation dire.

"We're seeing one of the worst cases of prescription drug shortages that we've seen in recent years," Vernon observed. "Unfortunately, this is a cause for concern because you go to the pharmacy and expect them to have the medication in stock, and they don't."

Vernon acknowledged pharmacists cannot guarantee patients when a certain medication will be delivered. She advised parents and caregivers to schedule refills up to two weeks in advance to make sure they will be ready on time, if the pharmacy can even get the medication.

According to Singlecare.com, atorvastatin, sold under the brand name Lipitor, was the most prescribed drug in Indiana last year. It's used to lower cholesterol.

The shortages affect both brand name and generic drugs. Vernon suggested keeping good lines of communication open with your pharmacist and asking if there are any negative health risks tied to taking a generic, if one is available.

"One of the most important things you can do is to always keep a list of your current medications with you," Vernon recommended. "And also keep a record of what you've tried in the past. When my patients experience a shortage, I'll say let's try this other medication that's in the same class is expected to have the same effect. Have you tried that before?"

Statista.com estimated the total market for generic drugs worldwide was estimated at $412 billion in 2022 and the figure is expected to increase to more than $600 billion by 2030.


get more stories like this via email