CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Ken Hechler on Wednesday accused fellow Democrat Gov. Joe Manchin's administration of "double talk" and threw his support behind the Mountain Party's Jesse Johnson in West Virginia's special election for U.S. Senate.

The former congressman and secretary of state endorsed Johnson at a press conference at the state Capitol, saying Johnson shares his ideals.

Johnson is running against Manchin and Republican John Raese in the November general election to replace the late Robert C. Byrd, who died June 28.

Hechler ran in the August primary almost solely on his stance against mountaintop removal. He received 17 percent of the Democratic vote, compared to 73 percent for Manchin.

On Wednesday, Hechler attributed the loss to his age, saying he does not believe the results reflect the true level of opposition to mountaintop removal in West Virginia.

"People were voting not against mountaintop removal, but were actually voting against my age of 95," he said.

Johnson doesn't have that "handicap," Hechler said.

"He's 51 years old," Hechler said as he introduced Johnson, who also opposes mountaintop removal. "Compare that with a 95-year-old, and you'll see why you're going to have a huge outpouring of support for Jesse Johnson."

Johnson has previously run for governor, U.S Senate and president. He said he would run a grass-roots campaign and stand up to rich and powerful interests.

"It's time for business as usual to be over," he said.

West Virginia could develop a "new coal economy" based on the manufacturing of carbon products, Johnson said.

Manchin has consistently favored the coal industry over the environment, said Hechler, who was joined at the podium by anti-mountaintop-removal activist Larry Gibson.

"Unfortunately, the Manchin administration has taken the position that the governor wants to see a balance between coal and the environment," Hechler said. "But ... when push comes to shove, coal always wins and the environment always loses."

He also criticized the Manchin administration's handling of the federal historic designation process for the site of the Battle of Blair Mountain -- the largest armed confrontation in American labor history -- calling the state's treatment of the matter "real double talk."

"Here's a man who wants to succeed Sen. Byrd," Hechler said of the governor. "I know many things about Sen. Byrd, the most important of which is, he always said what he meant and meant what he said. There was no double talk coming out of Sen. Byrd's mouth."

Also, Hechler said Manchin has failed to address the environmental impact of Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling in West Virginia.

In a statement, Manchin said Hechler recently informed him of the decision to endorse Johnson.

"When it comes to our coal mining families, coal mining jobs and the energy that this country depends on, I won't budge an inch so I understand Mr. Hechler not supporting me," Manchin said, adding that he would not stop fighting "for West Virginia coal ... until common sense prevails."

Raese campaign manager Jim Dornan said Johnson could possibly take votes away from Manchin in the general election because many Hechler supporters are so passionate about mountaintop removal.

"The folks that were voting for Ken and would vote for Jesse were never going to for us, and we understand that," Dornan said.

Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1240.