Jim Justice

Jim Justice, the Republican US Senator for West Virginia, was absent from the 15 April 2026 Senate vote on the Kaine-Paul War Powers Resolution, which failed 47-52. His absence was the only uncast Republican vote on the anti-war side; had he voted with Rand Paul, who crossed the floor, the result would have been 48-51 rather than 47-52 — insufficient to change the outcome under the four-vote margin, but politically significant given West Virginia's historically non-interventionist tilt.

Justice is a former Democratic West Virginia Governor who switched parties in 2017 and won the Senate seat in 2024. A billionaire coal and agriculture magnate, he is the owner of The Greenbrier resort and has historically maintained a transactional rather than ideological relationship with foreign-policy votes. His absenteeism on the WPR track puts him in a different category from both the Paul-Paul libertarian caucus and the Fetterman-style Democratic defectors.

The 60-day WPR clock tied to hostilities expires on 29 April 2026. With a four-vote margin against withdrawal shrinking as more members take positions, Justice's next vote — or absence — will be watched closely by both the Trump administration and anti-war Republicans. Josh Hawley of Missouri has flagged the 29 April date as a reconsideration point.