W. Va. AG is famous for opposing Obama’s policies and Biden wins Republican primary for governor : NPR
West Virginia voters chose their candidates in primary elections with the key offices of governor and a U.S. Senate seat about to become open.
Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Television
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Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Television
West Virginia voters chose their candidates in primary elections with the key offices of governor and a U.S. Senate seat about to become open.
Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Television
After one The campaign focuses on national culture war issue, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has won the Republican nomination for governor, according to a call for the race by the Associated Press.
In a state that voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, Morrisey will start as the front-runner for November’s election. He will face a single candidate in the runoff. Democratic primary candidate Steve Williams, who is serving his third term as mayor of Huntington. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, Williams was able to wait and focus his efforts on the upcoming general election.
They are seeking to replace Republican Gov. Jim Justice, who has reached his two-term limit in that office.
Meanwhile, Justice, according to AP, won the expected victory in the Republican primary to be nominated to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, who is retiring. Justice, the owner of a series of businesses and the son of a coal tycoon, is a dominant figure in the state’s politics and has been endorsed by Trump. As governor, he helped pass income tax cuts and a near-total ban on abortion. He will likely be the favorite to face the Democrat, winner of that party’s primary.
In the Republican primary for the US House of Representatives, incumbent candidate Carol Miller defeated Derrick Evans, according to AP. Evans spent three months in prison for one offence Charges for participating in civil disturbances during the attack on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021. At that time he was a delegate to the West Virginia House of Representatives.
The new Republican gubernatorial candidate, Morrisey, was elected attorney general in 2012 and used the position to lead lawsuits against federal policies of the Obama and Biden administrations. He recently led other state attorneys general in a lawsuit to block Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring cuts in emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants.
Much of the primary campaign saw candidates for the Republican nomination compete over who was more conservative and the biggest supporter of Trump. They touted their support for the state’s coal industry, advocating the fossil fuel remains key to America’s energy supply as the country transitions to renewable sources. But much of the media campaign focuses on their opposition to transgender rights.
“Because our candidates don’t have a lot of policy alternatives they want to talk about, playing war games makes sense,” said Marybeth Beller, an associate professor of political science at Marshall of West Virginia. It’s easier to fight against culture and stir up fear.” University.
Despite growing up in New Jersey and moving to West Virginia in 2006, Morrisey defeated opponents with deeper ties to the state’s political establishment. Moore Capito, a former representative to the West Virginia Legislature, is on track to place second. He is the son of U.S. Senator Shelley Capito and the grandson of the late Governor Arch Moore. He is supported by the Justice Government.
Another candidate is car dealership owner Chris Miller, whose mother is U.S. Congresswoman Carol Miller. The remaining candidate is current Secretary of State Mac Warner.
Randy Yohe covers state government for West Virginia Public Radio.
