Patrick Morrisey, at West Virginia MetroNews’ gubernatorial debate on Oct. 29, 2024, will be the next governor of West VIrginia. (Teran Malone | WVMetroNews)
Republican Patrick Morrisey is projected to win West Virginia’s gubernatorial race, defeating his Democrat opponent Steve Williams. The Associated Press made the call minutes after polls closed at 7:30 p.m.
Morrisey has served as the state’s attorney general since 2013.
While Morrisey narrowly secured the Republican nomination for governor in May, he was the front runner for the November election in the red state.
Morrisey’s fundraising solidly outpassed Williams, who has served as mayor of Huntington since 2013. Morrisey raised more than $6 million, with hefty donations from fossil fuel company leaders and a political action committee for American Electric Power in the final stretch ahead of Election Day. Campaign filings showed Williams had raised $235,036 by the end of September.
While campaigning, Morrisey touted his legacy of fighting what he called “federal overreach” on environmental issues. Earlier this year, he asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the state’s ban on transgender student athletes.
While Morrisey has faced criticism for his past lobbying work for pharmaceutical companies, he sued the federal Drug Enforcement Administration on the grounds that the agency wasn’t doing enough to stop the flow of opioids into the state.
He has said he plans to use his time as governor to implement additional tax breaks, remove the state income tax and to continue expanding the state’s already-broad school choice laws.
Morrisey will take the place of Gov. Jim Justice, who the Associated Press has projected to win the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va.
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