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Trump Jr. speaks at Morrisey rally

MARTINSBURG — With just two weeks left until the Nov. 6 general election, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey enlisted Donald Trump Jr.’s help to make his down-the-homestretch pitch to Eastern Panhandle voters.

A crowd of roughly 300 supporters on Monday cheered on Morrisey, Trump and other Republican speakers during a 48-minute “Get-Out-The-Vote” campaign rally held at Heritage Hall in Inwood.

Eastern Panhandle political officials in attendance included Sen. Charles Trump IV, R-Morgan; Sen. John Overington, R-Berkeley; Rep. Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson; Rep. Jill Upson, R-Jefferson; and Berkeley County Councilman Jim Whitacre.

In his comments, Trump underlined the importance of Morrisey winning the Mountain State’s Senate race as a vote of confidence for his father’s conservative Republican political agenda both here and across the country.

“My father needs guys like Patrick Morrisey. He needs guys like a Republican congressman,” Trump said. “(President Donald Trump’s) shown that if we fight back, we can win. Donald Trump is on the ticket in two weeks, make no mistake about it. If you are going to vote for him in 2020, get out and vote for him in two weeks.”

Morrisey painted Manchin as a career political insider who is out of step with West Virginians’ values on key political issues including pro-life, gun rights, the state’s coal industry and President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cut package.

During his roughly 14-minute speech, Morrisey described Manchin as “part of the liberal establishment, fake news and the political elite.”

“This election provides you with a very clear choice,” Morrisey said. “On the one hand, you have the chance to elect a conservative fighter who is going to advance the Trump agenda, or you can go back in time to the Hillary-Barack Obama era, and support Washington liberal Joe Manchin.”

At one point, after Morrisey cited Manchin’s support of Democratic Party 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, some audience members started to chant “lock her up, lock her up,” echoing a chant popular during the 2016 election.

And in what appeared to be a direct shot across Manchin’s political bow, Morrisey told voters he supported providing medical insurance coverage for policy holders who have a pre-existing medical condition.

West Virginia and 19 other states are suing the federal government over “Obamacare.”

arguing it’s unconstitutional following the removal of the individual mandate penalty in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Many Democrats, like Manchin, have highlighted the suit’s threat to the health care law’s protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

“Let me be clear, I think West Virginians with pre-existing conditions should have health care coverage,” Morrisey said. “You don’t need Obamacare to protect people with pre-existing conditions. We must get rid of the terrible policy of Obamacare.”

Preceding Trump, television news personality and former Fox News co-host Kimberly Guilfoyle said this Senate race represents a battle between current Republican and Democratic party ideals.

“It represents everything,” Guilfoyle said. “It’s the battle between the left and the right, between results and resistance.”

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