Gov. Jim Justice Says Farewell

On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice gave a farewell address to a joint assembly of the West Virginia Legislature after two terms and eight years.

“We pulled the rope together,” Justice said in the House of Delegates Chamber. “We made tough, right decisions. You know, we proved them wrong, didn’t we? We proved them wrong. Over and over. They called us hillbillies, but we proved them wrong, and now West Virginia, in many ways, is the envy of the world.”

Justice pointed to personal income tax cuts, the HOPE school choice scholarship, business development, and building roads as major accomplishments during his tenure.

He also outlined continued support for his friend President-elect Donald Trump and pointed to West Virginia as a model for the incoming administration’s goals.

“Donald Trump and I are real friends, not kind of friends,” Justice said. “We’re real friends. We’re not acquaintances. We talk. We talk all the time. And literally, he is going to make it happen, and I’m going to do every single thing in my power to stand arm in arm with him, and I’ll do it to my death. Absolutely, this nation better turn around.”

Justice decided to stay until Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey assumes office Jan. 13. Justice will then become the junior U.S. Senator from West Virginia alongside Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.