West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice checks out the stage with his dog, "Babydog," before the Republican National Convention Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

CHARLESTON — The mascot of the Republican Party temporarily switched from the elephant to the English bulldog as Gov. Jim Justice and his furry companion Babydog greeted attendees of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee Tuesday night.

“Babydog’s got a prediction for everybody here,” Justice said to the fired up crowd. “Babydog says we’ll retain the majority in the House. We are going to flip the United States Senate, and overwhelmingly we’re going to elect Donald J. Trump and J.D. Vance in November. And…what is the reason that she knows why we’re going to win? The answer is one thing: because we’re worth it.”

Justice spoke Tuesday night as part of back-to-back speeches from Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Justice – the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate to succeed the retiring U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va. — enjoys the support of both former Republican President and 2024 GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Justice faces Democratic opponent Glenn Elliott, the former mayor of Wheeling, in November.

Elected as governor as a Democrat in 2016, Justice switched to the Republican Party at the behest of Trump in 2017, making the announcement with Trump at a rally in Huntington.

“I want to talk to you tonight about my relationship with President Trump,” Justice said. “I want to talk to you about an incredible man. I want to tell you the truth about him and his family. He’s tough. He’s super smart, he’s a business guy, but maybe there’s something that you’ve missed and that is he genuinely cares. He cares about all of us, every last one of us. And he loves this nation beyond good sense.”

Justice also enjoys friendships with Trump’s two sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Both Donald Jr. and Eric have gone hunting in West Virginia with Justice.

“I’ve hunted and fished with Don Jr. He’s an incredible outdoorsman and a really treasured friend,” Justice said. “Now, imagine this. Eric and I have been so far back in the woods on top of a mountain, and I blew the tire out on the back of my 4×4, and who was under the vehicle right then? Eric Trump. Eric Trump changed the tire.”

While not on the ballot, Babydog has become a minor political celebrity both inside West Virginia and inside the Beltway. Babydog, first brought to the state’s attention in early 2021, became the face of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination effort and a frequent companion of the Governor’s at official events, including his annual State of the State address.

“I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy,” Justice said. “She makes us smile and she loves everybody, and how could the message possibly be any more simpler than just that.”

Babydog recently came under scrutiny after the inclusion of an English bulldog resembling Babydog was included in one of four historical and allegorical murals in the upper rotunda of the State Capitol Building. The decision to include Babydog in the more than half-a-million-dollar mural project was made by an ad-hoc committee of Justice cabinet and office officials without any input from the Capitol Building Commission.

Trump received the official nomination for President Monday night at the convention. Earlier Monday, Trump announced that U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, would be his vice-presidential running mate, with convention attendees also nominating Vance Monday evening.

The Republican National Convention comes on the heels of an attempted assassination attempt on Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. Saturday evening. Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa., was killed by Secret Service snipers after he opened fire on Trump from a rooftop 163 yards away, with one bullet taking a chunk out of Trump’s ear before he was pushed to the ground by Secret Service agents.

Corey Comperatore, a former chief of a nearby fire department, died on the scene, while two other rally attendees were in stable condition Monday following injuries sustained during the shooting. Trump attended Monday evening’s convention events with a large bandage covering his right ear.

The 32-strong West Virginia delegation cast all of its votes Monday night for Trump, who continues to enjoy strong support in West Virginia according to recent polling.

“We become totally unhinged if Donald Trump is not elected in November,” Justice said. “Donald J. Trump – my friend, my close friend – he’s tough. He’s super smart. He’s a business guy. He loves America. He taught his kids the right values, and he is a hard worker. Sure sounds like a leader to me. Sure sounds like a president to me.”