Associated Press, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

AG Morrisey Wins West Virginia Governor’s Race

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey easily won the West Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, using an endorsement from former U.S. President Donald Trump to catapult him to victory in the deep red state.

Morrisey emphasized his role as a “conservative fighter” in the courts on issues ranging from abortion to transgender participation in sports to best Steve Williams, the Democratic mayor of West Virginia’s second-largest city of Huntington.

“You deserve respect and dignity and a path for a better life,” Morrisey told cheering supporters at the Martinsburg Roundhouse event center, after the race was called. ”I want to help you find that by fighting to protect your freedoms and eliminating all the barriers where you have government standing in your way.”

Morrisey will become just the third Republican elected to a first gubernatorial term in West Virginia since 1928. Outgoing two-term governor Jim Justice, now a Republican, was first elected as a Democrat in 2016. He switched parties months later at a rally for Trump.

Morrisey told supporters that he had received a call from Williams, who he called a friend, conceding the race. He thanked Williams for his service to Huntington and for running a “civil” campaign.

Morrisey’s win further solidifies the GOP’s ever-tightening grip in the mountain state, where Democrats reigned for decades. He said Tuesday that for far too long the state’s industries have struggled and young people have felt forced to leave the state.

“They’ve lost hope, and they’ve felt the wave of economic hardships that have held back our families and our state,” he said. “But tonight we stand on the threshold of a new chapter.”

Trump-endorsed Morrisey leveraged high-profile litigation taken on by his office to make the case for why he was the best man for governor.

Since he was elected attorney general in 2012, Morrisey, 56, has led litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors netting around $1 billion to abate the crisis that has led to 6,000 children living in foster care in a state of around 1.8 million.

He defended a law preventing transgender youth from participating in sports and a scholarship program passed by the Republican lawmakers that would incentivize parents to pull their kids from traditional public school and enroll them in private education or homeschooling.

Key to his candidacy has been his role in defending a near-total ban on abortions passed by the Republican-controlled legislature in 2022 and going to court to restrict West Virginians’ access to abortion pills.

In a statement after a U.S. District Court judge blocked access to the pills in 2023, Morrisey vowed to “always stand strong for the life of the unborn.”

Williams, a 60-year-old former state lawmaker, tried to make the argument that most voters found the new abortion law too restrictive.

Earlier this year, Williams collected thousands of signatures on a petition to push lawmakers to vote to put abortion on the ballot for voters. The effort was unsuccessful. Republicans have repeatedly dismissed the idea of placing an abortion-rights measure before voters, which in West Virginia is a step only lawmakers can take.

West Virginia is among the 25 states that do not allow citizen initiatives or constitutional amendments on a statewide ballot, an avenue of direct democracy that has allowed voters to circumvent their legislatures and preserve abortion and other reproductive rights in several states over the past two years.

Republican leadership has pointed to a 2018 vote in which just under 52% of voters supported a constitutional amendment saying there is no right to abortion access in the state. But Williams said the vote also had to do with state funding of abortion, which someone could oppose without wanting access completely eliminated.

In Charleston on Tuesday, first-time voter Candace Morris said abortion was the most important issue to her in deciding who to support in the race. She chose to support Williams.

“I just don’t think it’s right for the government to control women’s reproductive rights,” said Morris, a 19-year-old student studying social work at West Virginia State University, a historically Black institution. “I don’t want to have to leave the state to get an abortion if I need to get one. I just don’t think it’s right, especially for lower-class people without resources.”

William Harmon, a retiree from Hurricane, said he supported Morrisey because he likes what he has accomplished as attorney general. “I think he’ll defend us very well,” he said.

Harmon said Democrat Steve Williams “really didn’t seem to be very active until these last two weeks before the election.”

“I don’t think anybody outside of Huntington really knows him very well,” he said.

Kristen Greene, an elementary school teacher from Charleston, said she is a Christian registered Republican who is vehemently against abortion. She considers it one of her top issues when it comes to deciding who to vote for, she said.

However, Greene said there was no way she could support Morrisey for governor. In 2018, when West Virginia school service personnel and teachers went on strike, Morrisey said the strike was illegal and that he would go to court to try to force workers back on the job.

“I don’t trust that he has the best interest of teachers at heart,” she said. “He didn’t support teachers. Does he expect teachers to support him?”

Greene, who previously lived in Huntington, said she’s a “big fan” of Williams and the job he’s done as mayor.

“I stand behind him,” she said.

Morrisey previously ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 but lost to Independent U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, then a Democrat.

Mother, Grandparents Indicted For Murder In Death Of Kyneddi Miller

On Tuesday, the grand jury indicted them on charges of murder of a child by parent, guardian or custodian by failure or refusal to supply necessities, and child neglect resulting in death, Boone County Prosecutor Dan Holstein said.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A grand jury on Tuesday returned an indictment on a murder charge against the mother and two grandparents of a 14-year-old West Virginia girl whose emaciated body was found in her home.

The body of Kyneddi Miller was found in April in the Boone County community of Morrisvale. Her case prompted a state investigation into whether law enforcement and child protective services could have intervened to prevent her death.

Deputies responding to a report of a death at the home found the girl in a bathroom and said her body was “emaciated to a skeletal state,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Boone County Magistrate Court.

The complaint said the teen had an eating disorder that led to “overwhelmingly visible conditions” and physical problems, but the mother had not sought medical care for her in at least four years. Miller was being homeschooled at the time.

Felony child neglect charges initially were filed against the girl’s mother, Julie Miller, and grandparents Donna and Jerry Stone.

An arraignment hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 18. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the three defendants had attorneys. Holstein said a copy of the indictment wouldn’t be made available to the public until Wednesday.

Brian Abraham, Gov. Jim Justice’s chief of staff, has said state police were summoned to check on the girl at her home in March 2023 but found no indication that she had been abused. A trooper then made an informal suggestion to the local human services office that she might have needed mental health resources.

But no follow-up checks were made, according to Abraham. The trooper indicated that Miller had appeared healthy to him but she said anxiety about being around people due to COVID-19 caused her not to want to leave her home.

2024 Election Latest: Biden Ends Reelection Bid, W.Va. Dems React

President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump, in a social media post that sent political shockwaves around the country and threw an element of turmoil into the election just months before voters go to the polls.

Biden’s decision came on the heels of a poor debate performance that prompted many rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers to urge him to withdraw from the race. The president said he will address the nation later this week “in more detail about my decision.”

West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin issued the following statement:

“President Joe Biden’s decision to step away from his re-election campaign demonstrates a level of integrity and respect for democracy that is all too rare in today’s political climate. Some leaders, upon attaining power, will do anything to keep it, including ignoring election results, fabricating fraudulent schemes, suborning others to violate their oaths of office, and ignoring the Constitution. President Biden did not do any of those things. He has consistently upheld the values and principles that are the foundation of our great nation. With this decision, we can set these distractions aside and focus on the very real threat that former President Donald Trump’s re-election would pose to our country and the world. It is imperative that we remain vigilant and committed to preserving our democracy and protecting the future for all Americans.”

Biden threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democrats’ new candidate, and she vowed to “earn and win” the nomination.

Republican leaders attacked Harris and said she shares responsibility for the policies of the Biden administration.

Biden’s withdrawal came a day after Donald Trump held his first public campaign rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt, with an event in the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Follow the AP’s Election-2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

W.Va. School Remains Open Amid Toxic Groundwater Fears

A small West Virginia school will remain open for now after a court temporarily blocked an effort to relocate classes due to the town’s contaminated groundwater being added to a national cleanup priority list.

Last month, Wetzel County Schools Superintendent Cassandra R. Porter announced that students, faculty and staff at Paden City High School would be relocated to existing schools in nearby New Martinsville when classes resume in August.

However, attorneys representing a group of those students, faculty and staff filed a petition this week seeking to block the move, according to news outlets. The petition argued that the federal government did not recommend closing the school because there was no health risk and that closing the school would “devastate” the community.

“Based upon the petition, there appears to be no emergency, the status of Paden City as a Superfund Site has been known for many years and these conditions are not unforeseen or unanticipated,” Circuit Judge Richard Wilson wrote in his Friday ruling.

Wilson ordered that the school’s teachers, staff and faculty be reinstated and that the school immediately reopen.

A hearing has been scheduled on July 25 to determine if the school will remain open.

In March 2022, federal environmental officials placed Paden City’s groundwater on the list of Superfund cleanup sites. Untreated groundwater contained the solvent tetrachloroethylene at levels higher than the federally allowed limit.

Tetrachloroethylene is widely used by dry cleaners. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the contaminated area is around the site of a dry cleaner that closed more than two decades ago in the Ohio River town of about 2,500 residents.

According to the EPA, tetrachloroethylene is a likely carcinogen and can harm the nervous system, liver, kidneys and reproductive system.

Trump Injured But ‘Fine’ After Apparent Assassination Attempt Leaves Rally-goer And Gunman Dead

On the heels of an apparent attempt to kill him, former President Donald Trump called Sunday for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him injured but “fine” and the gunman and a rally-goer dead.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said the upper part of his right ear was pierced in the shooting. His aides said he was in “great spirits” and doing well.

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he wrote on his social media site. “Much bleeding took place.”

In a subsequent post Sunday, Trump said “it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.”

“In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win,” his post said.

The FBI early Sunday identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as it pressed its investigation.

Secret Service agents fatally shot Crooks. The gunman attacked from an elevated position outside the rally venue at a farm show in Butler, the agency said.

One attendee was killed and two spectators were critically injured, authorities said. All were identified as men.

Investigators believe the weapon had been purchased by Crooks’ father at least six months ago, two law enforcement officials said. Federal agents were still working to understand when and how his son obtained the gun and gather additional information about Crooks as they worked to try to identify a motive, the officials said.

The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity

The attack was the most serious attempt to kill a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It drew new attention to concerns about political violence in a deeply polarized U.S. less than four months before the presidential election. And it could alter the tenor and security posture at the Republican National Convention, which will begin Monday in Milwaukee.

Organizers said the convention would proceed as planned.

Trump flew to New Jersey after visiting a local Pennsylvania hospital, landing shortly after midnight at Newark Liberty International Airport. Video posted by an aide showed the former president leaving his private jet flanked by U.S. Secret Service agents and heavily armed members of the agency’s counter assault team, an unusually visible show of force by his protective detail.

President Joe Biden, who is running against Trump, was briefed on the attack and spoke to Trump several hours after the shooting, the White House said.

“There’s no place in America for this type of violence,” the president said. “It’s sick. It’s sick.”

Biden planned to return to Washington early, cutting short a weekend at his beach home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Many Republicans quickly blamed the violence on Biden and his allies, arguing that sustained attacks on Trump as a threat to democracy have created a toxic environment. They pointed in particular to a comment Biden made to donors on July 8, saying “it’s time to put Trump in the bullseye.”

Officials said members of the Secret Service counterassault team killed the shooter. The heavily armed tactical team travels everywhere with the president and major party nominees and is meant to confront any active threats while other agents focus on safeguarding and evacuating the person at the center of protection.

An AP analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos from the scene of the Trump rally, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get astonishingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking.

A video posted to social media and geolocated by the AP shows the body of a person wearing gray camouflage lying motionless on the roof of a building at AGR International, a manufacturing plant just north of the Butler Farm Show grounds where Trump’s rally was held.

The roof where the person lay was less than 150 meters (164 yards) from where Trump was speaking, a distance from which a decent marksman could reasonably hit a human-sized target. For reference, 150 meters is a distance at which U.S. Army recruits must hit a scaled human-sized silhouette to qualify with the M-16 rifle. The AR-15, like the shooter at the Trump rally had, is the semi-automatic civilian version of the military M-16.

Asked at the press conference whether law enforcement did not know the shooter was on the roof until he began firing, Kevin Rojek, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, responded that “that is our assessment at this time.”

“It is surprising” that the gunman was able to open fire on the stage before the Secret Service killed him, he added.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whose department oversees the Secret Service, said officials were engaged with the Biden and Trump campaigns and “taking every possible measure to ensure their safety and security.”

A rally disrupted by gunfire

Trump was showing off a chart of border crossing numbers when the gunfire began after 6:10 p.m.

As the first pop rang out, Trump said, “Oh,” and raised his hand to his right ear and looked at it, before quickly crouching to the ground behind his lectern. The people in the stands behind him also crouched as screams rang through the crowd.

Someone could be heard near the microphone saying, “Get down, get down, get down, get down!” as agents rushed to the stage. They piled atop the former president to shield him with their bodies, as is their training protocol, as other agents took up positions on stage to search for the threat.

Screams were heard in the crowd of several thousand people. A woman screamed louder than the rest. Afterward, voices were heard saying “shooter’s down” several times, before someone asked “are we good to move?” and “are we clear?” Then, someone ordered, “Let’s move.”

Trump could be heard on the video saying at least twice, “Let me get my shoes, let me get my shoes,” with another voice heard saying, “I’ve got you, sir.”

Trump got to his feet moments later and could be seen reaching with his right hand toward his face, which was smeared with blood. He then pumped his fist in the air and appeared to mouth the word “Fight” twice to his crowd of supporters, prompting loud cheers and then chants of “USA. USA. USA.”

His motorcade left the venue moments later. Video showed Trump turning back to the crowd and raising a fist right before he was put into a vehicle.

Witnesses heard multiple gunshots and ducked for cover

“Everybody went to their knees or their prone position, because we all knew, everyone becoming aware of the fact this was gunfire,” said Dave McCormick, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, who was sitting to Trump’s right on stage.

As he saw Trump raise his fist, McCormick said, he looked over his shoulder and noticed someone had been hit while sitting in the bleachers behind the stage.

Eventually, first responders were able to carry the injured person out of a large crowd so he could get medical care, McCormick said.

Reporters covering the rally heard five or six shots ring out and many ducked for cover, hiding under tables. After the first two or three bangs, people in the crowd looked startled, but not panicked. An AP reporter at the scene reported the noise sounded like firecrackers at first or perhaps a car backfiring.

When it was clear the situation had been contained and Trump would not return to speak, attendees started filing out of the venue. One man in an electric wheelchair got stuck on the field when his chair’s battery died. Others tried to help him move.

Police soon told the people remaining to leave the venue and Secret Service agents told reporters to get “out now. This is a live crime scene.”

Two firefighters from nearby Steubenville, Ohio, who were at the rally told the AP that they helped people who appeared injured and heard bullets hitting broadcast speakers.

“The bullets rattled around the grandstand, one hit the speaker tower and then chaos broke,” Chris Takach said. “We hit the ground and then the police converged into the grandstands.”

,“The first thing I heard is a couple of cracks,” Dave Sullivan said.

Sullivan said he saw one of the speakers get hit and bullets rattling and, “we hit the deck.”

He said once Secret Service and other authorities converged on Trump, he and Takach helped two people who may have been shot in the grandstand and cleared a path to get them out of the way.

“Just a sad day for America,” said Sullivan, who recalled that fluid sprayed from a mechanical line on the stage before a speaker tower started to fall.

“Then we heard another shot that, you could hear, you knew something was — it was bullets. It wasn’t firecrackers.”

Political violence again shakes America

The perils of campaigning took on a new urgency after the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in California in 1968, and again in 1972 when Arthur Bremer shot and seriously hurt George Wallace, who was running as an independent on a campaign platform that has sometimes been compared to Trump’s. That led to increased protection of candidates, even as the threats persisted, notably against Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Barack Obama in 2008.

Presidents, particularly after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, have even greater layers of security, and Trump is a rarity as both a former president and a current candidate.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, three men on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, all quickly sent out statements expressing concern for the former president, with Rubio sharing an image taken as Trump was escorted off stage with his fist in the air and a streak of blood on his face along with the words “God protected President Trump.”

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Colvin, Balsamo and Price reported from New York. Long reported from Washington. Tucker reported from Westport, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Michael Biesecker and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Will Weissert in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, contributed to this report.

Joe Manchin Isn’t A Candidate 5 Months Before The Election. But He Still Has Time To Change His Mind

It’s five months before the general election, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia isn’t running for office. What he has done over the past year is announce he won’t run for reelection as a Democrat, changed his party registration to independent, and ruled out a third-party run for president.

Every election cycle, it seems, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia tries to find the best fit for himself, dragging both sides of the political aisle — and an entire home-state electorate — along for a wobbly ride.

Five months before the general election, he’s still not a declared candidate for any office, but he’s hitched up the guessing-game wagon one more time. And there’s still time, albeit shrinking, to mull potential runs for governor, the Senate or even the U.S. presidency.

After recently switching his party affiliation from Democrat to independent, the 76-year-old Manchin is content to leave the Senate in January “and be able to hold a more normal life, if you will.”

But in true Manchin fashion, he leaves the gate open just a crack.

“Never say never, because you never know,” he said.

The rutted path he’s chosen, while not necessarily surprising, leaves voters who haven’t lost interest altogether once again trying to figure out where Manchin is headed. One who has tried to keep up, retired West Virginia Wesleyan political history professor Robert Rupp, brings his own metaphor to the discussion.

“This is a whirling dervish,” Rupp said.

Career Crossroads

Career-changing moves for Manchin have come in bunches lately.

Manchin announced his party registration switch on June 1, saying he wanted to “continue to fight for America’s sensible majority.” Manchin had been thinking about it at least as far back as last August.

In November, Manchin announced he wouldn’t run for reelection as a Democrat.

Then in December at a Washington roast, Manchin teased a potential third-party run for the White House, joking that the nation could use someone slightly younger than the leading contenders. But in February, Manchin announced he would not run for president, saying he didn’t want to be a “spoiler.”

Manchin had been in the Senate since 2010, when he won a special election following the death of Robert C. Byrd during Manchin’s second term as governor. He’s been there ever since, though he considered returning home to run again for governor in 2016. Instead, he endorsed Jim Justice, who won as a Democrat before himself switching to the Republican Party months after taking office.

In 2019, rather than make another run for governor in the 2020 election and take on Justice, who had become a rival, Manchin decided to remain a senator. That decision proved fruitful as he emerged as a linchpin vote and must-have dealmaker for Democrats in the closely divided Senate. Key Biden administration initiatives on energy and infrastructure likely would not have happened without his buy-in.

Another Run For Governor

When Manchin switched parties last month, ears perked up and whispered questions began to circulate: What’s he up to now? The logistics of several possible paths forward offered a glimmer of possible answers.

When he registered as an independent, Manchin met a deadline — barely — in West Virginia for candidates to file their political affiliation 60 days prior to an Aug. 1 deadline to run in this year’s election. That has fueled speculation that he could decide to seek a third term as governor, an office where he was popular. He received nearly 64% of the vote to win his first term in 2004 and 70% of the vote in nabbing a second term in 2008.

West Virginia has turned heavily Republican since then. Former President Donald Trump overwhelmingly won the state in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. Both chambers of the state legislature now have GOP supermajorities. About 40% of registered voters are Republicans, compared with 30% for Democrats and about 25% with no party affiliation.

If Manchin tries for a return to the governor’s office, he’d face an election rematch with Republican Patrick Morrisey and an awkward campaign showdown with Democrat Steve Williams, the mayor of Huntington and the party’s chosen nominee. In the 2018 U.S. Senate race, Manchin defeated Morrisey by just over 3 percentage points. In late May, Manchin said publicly that he wouldn’t run for governor and would support Williams.

Along with reversing course on that statement, Manchin would again have to grapple with the sustained popularity in West Virginia of Trump, whose name will adorn the top of West Virginia’s ballot. Morrisey, the state’s attorney general, is a staunch supporter of Trump, who became popular in Appalachia for making broad promises to put coal miners back to work amid a grim economic outlook in the industry.

Trump did not bring the industry back. The number of coal jobs in West Virginia fell from 11,561 at the start of his presidency to 11,418 at the end in 2021, slowing coal’s precipitous decline but not stopping it. Still, Manchin and Democrats often found themselves targeted as enemies of coal in a state where it was still widely seen as a cornerstone of the economy.

Despite a long line of legendary politicians in its history, only two West Virginia governors have been elected to three terms: Republican Arch. A. Moore Jr. in 1968, 1972 and 1984, and Republican Arthur Boreman during the state’s infancy in 1863, 1864 and 1866.

Third Time A Senator

Without Manchin in the Senate race, Republicans are oozing with confidence that Justice can pick up his West Virginia seat. If all other races across the country stayed with their current parties, that alone would be enough for them to retake the majority next year. And Democrats are defending 23 seats, including five held by independents, compared to just 10 seats for Republicans.

A decision by Manchin to get back in the race as an independent would be awkward as well because it would set up a matchup against both Justice and Democrat Glenn Elliott, whom Manchin endorsed in the May primary.

Justice and Manchin had a falling-out after Justice switched parties eight months into his first term as governor in 2017. Justice made that announcement on stage with Trump during a rally in Huntington. Justice, a wealthy businessman who owns several coal mines, is a staunch supporter of Trump and won his endorsement.

After Manchin became an independent, Elliott said on X, formerly Twitter, that he had no reason to believe Manchin had any interest in the Senate race.

A Senate race could be Manchin’s toughest in four decades in state politics — and his most expensive. Manchin has raised $11.7 million with $8.5 million cash on hand, compared with $3 million raised with $931,000 cash on hand for Justice, and $125,000 raised with $65,000 cash on hand for Elliott, according to the latest Federal Election Commission records.

Other Options

In April, the leadership of No Labels, a national bipartisan organization, ended its search for a presidential candidate. Manchin had been viewed as one of the top high-profile prospects to seize on widespread dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden and Trump.

If Manchin were to use his independent status to reverse course again and make an independent presidential run, he’d need to hurry. He’s already missed the filing deadline for the general election in seven states, and deadlines are looming in 10 others in June and July, according to the Federal Election Commission.

One other option lurks in the shadows as the senator mulls his future. In Morgantown, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee plans to retire when his contract is up next June. A search for his replacement is in the early stages.

Manchin, a WVU graduate, has not addressed speculation that he might have interest in Gee’s job. A spokeswoman sidestepped questions about it last year. But in the kind of language that Manchin clearly loves to see as others speculate about his path forward, the Dominion Post reported that the university said its search will have “no preconceived outcomes or candidates.”

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Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.