NEW OFFICE – Former West Virginia governor Jim Justice, with U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito holding the Bible, is sworn into the U.S. Senate by Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley on Tuesday. -- Photo Courtesy/U.S. Senate

CHARLESTON — One day after turning the keys to the Governor’s Mansion over to Patrick Morrisey, Jim Justice was sworn in to begin his six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

Justice took his oath of office Tuesday afternoon in the U.S. Senate Chamber, joined by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. The oath was administered by Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

“Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that you take this oath obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you God,” asked Grassley.

“I do,” Justice said.

Capito, ranked fourth in the Senate Republican leadership and the senior senator for West Virginia, issued a statement following Justice’s swearing in, welcoming him to the Senate.

“Senator Justice was an outstanding two-term Governor of West Virginia, and I am thrilled to welcome him to his next chapter of public service here in the Senate,” Capito said. “We had a great relationship while he was governor and accomplished a lot, especially in areas of economic development, and I am looking to continue that success through our partnership here in the Senate.”

In a video message released on social media Tuesday with Capito, Justice said he was ready to work with Capito and his fellow Senate colleagues and the incoming administration of former President Donald Trump.

“I can’t say enough about this young lady,” Justice said of Capito. “She’s now our senior senator, and the job she has done for West Virginia and our entire nation is phenomenal beyond belief…I am anxious to work with her to do anything and everything I can to move President Trump’s agenda forward, because it is time to put America on the right path. That’s all there is to it, and that’s the reason I am here. Period.”

Justice won election to the U.S. Senate in November, defeating former Democratic Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott. Justice fended off a GOP challenge by former 2nd District Congressman Alex Mooney in the May primary. In both cases, Justice won those races by significant margins.

Former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., encouraged Justice to run for the seat previously held by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin. Justice announced his U.S. Senate campaign at his Greenbrier Resort in April 2023, joined by Capito and U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C. Justice enjoyed support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and McConnell’s Senate Leadership Fund.

Manchin – a former state lawmaker, secretary of state, and two-term governor – ran in a special election for Senate to serve the remaining term of the late Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd who died in 2010. Manchin won election to full six-year terms in 2012 and 2018, but he announced in November 2023 that he would retire when his term ended in 2024. Manchin switched his party registration from Democrat to unaffiliated in May.

Justice’s second and final four-year term as the 36th governor of West Virginia came to an end at midnight on Sunday after the official and ceremonial swearing in of former three-term Attorney General Patrick Morrisey as his successor.

Morrisey won election as governor in November over former Democratic Huntington mayor Steve Williams and after a contentious GOP primary last May. Justice was in attendance at Morrisey’s inaugural ceremony Monday morning, along with former governors Manchin and Earl Ray Tomblin.

Justice could have taken his U.S. Senate seat as early as Jan. 3 when Congress resumed. But resigning as governor earlier than Monday would have caused former Senate President Craig Blair and new Senate President Randy Smith, R-Tucker, to act as governor until Morrisey’s inauguration. But Justice’s delay caused the Senate seat to remain empty for 11 days and set Justice back in seniority rank.

With Justice now sworn in, that takes the 100-member Senate to 52 Republican members after U.S. Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, resigned Friday as he prepares to be sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, with Trump. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will need to appoint a replacement to bring the Senate back up to 53 Republican members.

“Senator Justice played a pivotal role in flipping the Senate majority to Republicans, giving us the opportunity to enact President Trump’s agenda,” Capito said. “Together, we can work in tandem to implement the changes that West Virginians demanded for our country at the ballot box in November. I’m excited for all he will accomplish as a Senator and look forward to the results we can deliver for the Mountain State as a unified team.”