Rep. Alex Mooney will not be able to defeat Mitch McConnell’s hand-picked candidate, Governor. Jim Justice in the primary this month. His fans are still important.

Ted Cruz faces a tough reelection campaign in Texas. He was 1,200 miles from Texas on Thursday to try and shape the future of Senate Republicans after Mitch McConnell.

Cruz visited the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to support Rep. Alex Mooney. Mooney is a conservative underdog who will be facing Gov. Jim Justice is running in the GOP primary on May 14. Justice was selected by the Senate Minority Leader to force Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. into retirement. This will make this seat the easiest for Republicans to pick up on the fall map.

Cruz believes that Mooney’s campaign is a way for him to push his party to the right and to make things worse for party leaders. Mooney, a long-time member of the House Freedom Caucus, is running from the right as an insurgent, while Justice, a more accommodating ex-Democrat, has supported bipartisan compromises.

How many of you have been frustrated with Republicans in the Senate?” I will raise my hand. Cruz said to a crowd of 200 people at a horse auction center in a hot, humid environment that many politicians are spineless animals. “One conservative more makes a huge difference in the Senate.”

Mooney is far behind Justice in nearly all polls, but his candidacy allows him to gauge the GOP base’s feelings about the growing anti-establishment sentiment among congressional Republicans. Cruz is seeking new recruits for the rabblerousing group of GOP senators that thrives on causing headaches to party leaders. So, whether Mooney wins or loses, which he won’t, Cruz’s support makes him a favorite among the insurgents.

A similar longshot right-flank revolt is happening in the House, where Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is trying to remove a speaker that on paper looks like her natural conservative allie. Mooney and Greene face the same issue: the party establishment includes Donald Trump, the former president who they accuse of being out-of-touch with conservatives.

Mooney will “be crushed”, said former Rep. David McKinley, (R-W.Va.), who was a Justice Supporter and lost to Mooney during a House Primary in 2022 due to Trump’s support.

Manchin’s retirement means that either Republican candidate will win the seat come November. This makes West Virginia the perfect test case to see how the red-state party is feeling. Mooney wants to make the primary an ideological contest, a rare thing in a Senate race where most other GOP contests have been based on who could compete in a general elections.

Mooney has been trying to create momentum in any way possible, including the release and distribution of internal polling data as well as a visit by Cruz to the Mountain State. Mooney even used Justice’s Internet-famous pet “Baby Dog”, claiming the bulldog that’s been omnipresent in the governor’s messaging, knows the truth about Mooney.

“Baby Dog is a Gov. Justice is as good as anyone. Mooney stated in an interview that he knew the man was a liberal. Justice’s campaign has not responded to requests for comments.

Mooney opposed sending additional U.S. assistance to Ukraine and voted in opposition to the bipartisan House spending bill. He won the race against McKinley in part because, according to McKinley, Trump was angry enough over McKinley voting for a bipartisan bill on infrastructure that he endorsed Mooney who opposed it. Mooney, who was also attacked for his Maryland heritage, won that race.

Conservatives who support Mooney are especially frustrated by a missed opportunity to change Senate GOP’s complexion after bitter internal divisions over funding Ukraine and government spending, as well as reauthorizing warrantless surveillance of foreigners. John Fredericks, an Mooney-supporting pro-Trump radio host in Virginia, said that electing Justice would be a “complete loss of a seat” to the GOP.

Fredericks and Cruz, however, are the exceptions to a Republican Party wary of going against Trump. Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul(R-Ky.), and Sen. Mike Lee(R-Utah), are the only Republicans in the chamber who oppose Justice. According to AdImpact, the conservative Club for Growth failed to spend the $10 million it had promised in the race. Instead, they spent only $1.8 million.

David McIntosh is the president of Club for Growth Action. He said that the group believes Mooney “is the best conservative for this seat but President Trump’s endorsement hardened Justice’s support and it wasn’t possible to move forward.”

“They committed. I think they looked at the poll numbers and canceled,” Fredericks said, driving his “MAGA Bus”. “You either believe in your candidate or you do not.” “They obviously don’t.”

Mooney refused to criticize Club conservative, which plays often in red-state primary elections but is now trying to rebuild its relationship with Trump. He acknowledged that the cavalry didn’t come for him, even though total GOP spending for an open seat is low — around $13m — and a few more million dollars could have made all the difference.

Mooney stated, “People miss it.” It’s not only Club for Growth. There are many groups that help conservatives.

Mooney has a pragmatic side, as he does not plan to vote this week to remove Speaker Mike Johnson. There is little doubt among top Senate officials that Justice will be a more team-oriented Republican, similar to the more pragmatic center right Republicans who may form the GOP’s governing wing by 2025. This will be beneficial to McConnell’s successor as Republican Leader.

Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican senator from West Virginia who often supports Justice and is open to bipartisan deals, stated that Justice “was initially perceived and known as the stronger candidate. Now it will be about what kind of Senator he becomes.” “I feel very comfortable about that.”

West Virginia is one of the most red states in the nation, so it’s surprising that GOP voters don’t automatically choose the most conservative candidate. The state party, however, is full of thousands of former Democrats that don’t follow strict ideological lines. Just like Justice who gave Trump a big win in 2017 by switching parties on stage.

Mooney’s only positive is that Trump does not rally voters directly against him. Mooney’s campaign also appears to take Justice less seriously at times, giving Mooney the spotlight. The lack of activity on the other hand suggests that Justice is confident he will win by a wide margin.

Manchin asked, “Why mess it up?”

Cruz was still adamant about a trip to West Virginia. He has maintained his own brand