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.


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Two of the largest credit card companies in the United States want federal regulators to greenlight a merger and the deal has been met with skepticism from a consumer rights group.

Capital One and Discover Financial Services agreed in February to combine their services in a $35 billion deal.

Patrick Woodall, managing director of policy at Americans for Financial Reform -- which is composed of civil rights, labor and other civic organizations and promotes an equitable financial system for consumers -- noted the merger would pose a hardship for some.

"This disproportionately impacts Black and Latino families who are much more likely to have subprime credit scores, much more likely to struggle paying their credit card bill," Woodall pointed out. "It would give the company the power to extract value and money from these working families."

Corporate mergers often mean excess jobs will be cut. In 2021, Discover opened a customer care center in Chicagoland, but Woodall fears call center and marketing positions there are on the line. Should the merger receive approval, Capital One has vowed to retain all Discover workers for one year. Then, Capitol One's management can legally close all Discover operations.

The Bank Merger Review Modernization Act mandates federal regulators consider the effects of a proposed merger on the community it serves. According to the financial site Experian, Illinoisans hold an average yearly credit card balance of almost $7,000.

Woodall believes the merger will lead to increased credit card costs, which he said are "likely to gouge consumers."

"It's creating a bank so large and so weighted towards credit cards that in the event of sort of an economic downturn, this bank could be in trouble," Woodall contended. "That could cause systemic problems across the broader economy and banking system."

The Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will hold an open meeting July 19 for community input. Woodall hopes federal regulators will "do the right thing" by standing up for the statutory requirements and blocking the merger.

Summer is in full swing and as temperatures increase across the state of Arizona, so do energy bills.

Diane Brown, executive director of the Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, said Arizonans can easily cut down on their electric bills, from steps as simple as turning off lights or electronics when they are not in use, to investing in a "smart" thermostat to provide better control of a home's temperature.

Brown added people should check with their utility company to ensure they are on the best rate plan, especially if there has been a change in the number of people living under one roof.

"Often your utility can help you cut down on your monthly bill through energy efficiency discounts and rebates," Brown explained. "Helping you to assess if you're on the best rate plan for your household."

For people struggling to pay their bill, she noted utilities offer financial assistance or can point you to a nonprofit to can help. An appliance taking in one watt of electrical current at all times is equivalent to nine kilowatt-hours per year. These so-called "energy vampires" cost the average household between $100 and $200 a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Brown pointed out cutting energy waste does not require a dramatic change in daily habits or comfort. Just closing curtains during the hottest part of the day can reduce the amount of heat entering a room by up to one-third. She added using ceiling fans to help offset air conditioning is another money-saver; and avoiding using your oven in the summer is another smart strategy.

"Using an air fryer, a slow cooker, microwave or a grill can help to reduce the amount of heat in a room," Brown emphasized. "Which will help to reduce the amount of air conditioning that is being employed, thereby saving money."

Brown acknowledged utility companies often propose raising households' monthly rates and fees. She added if you are behind on an electric bill or anticipate having a hard time paying it, contact the company or the statewide nonprofit Wildfire, to learn more about the Home Energy Assistance Fund.

As Hoosiers gear up for Independence Day, safety experts are stressing the importance of handling fireworks responsibly.

Trevor Hash, division chief for prevention at the Noblesville Fire Department, warned against using illegal fireworks because of the dangers they pose. Injuries are less common now thanks to awareness but there still will likely be injuries.

"As far as injuries go, we've had injuries in the past -- they're not as common because of things like what you're doing right now -- the awareness of you don't want to go out there and touch the dud," Hash explained. "You want to have an adult set them off and have a big perimeter."

Last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported around 10,000 fireworks-related injuries and eight fatalities in the nation. Hash reminded everyone fireworks can easily ignite nearby structures, vegetation and clothing, leading to severe burns, lacerations and eye injuries. Keep children at least 100 feet away and never let them handle fireworks.

Hash also noted the stress fireworks can cause for people with PTSD and pets.

"Pets around fireworks; pets run out, people chase the pets and then they get injured," Hash observed. "And then the duds. Don't go grab the firework. We want to give those five to 10 minutes to see if they're going to go off. If you can leave those overnight, even better. We definitely want to make sure those go in a bucket of water."

According to Indiana law, only people 18 years of age or older can purchase fireworks.


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