House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Endorses State Treasurer Riley Moore 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has endorsed State Treasurer Riley Moore for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the Republican primary next year.

McCarthy’s endorsement of Riley Moore, for West Virginia’s Second Congressional District, could help Moore in his primary election bid, where there are currently no declared Democrats in the race.

The heavily Republican district opened up after incumbent Rep. Alex Mooney announced his candidacy for West Virginia’s Senate seat currently held by Democrat Joe Manchin. Manchin hasn’t yet said if he’ll seek re-election. Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Jim Justice has entered the race.

Born in Morgantown into the West Virginia Moore-Capito political family, Moore began his career as a welder before moving into politics. In 2013, he served as an associate at the Podesta Group where he was part of a client team working on the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECFMU), which was formed to represent the Party of Regions, a banned pro-Russian political party in Ukraine formed in late 1997. 

Moore later stated that he was unaware of any illegal activity after the Podesta Group was named in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation over alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. He was never identified as a person associated with the case.

Moore’s cousin, Del. Moore Capito, the son of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., has announced plans to run for governor of West Virginia next year. His grandfather, Arch Moore, served as governor in the 1970s and ’80s.

Before being elected to the role of state treasurer, Riley Moore served in the West Virginia House of Delegates for the 67th district. He beat six-term incumbent Democrat John Perdue for his current role as state treasurer in 2020.

An outspoken opponent of environmental, social and corporate governance, or ESG, Moore pulled West Virginia from the BlackRock Incorporated’s investment fund because of its stance on fossil fuels. 

He also threatened to bar JP Morgan Chase and other big banks from doing business in West Virginia over what alleged fossil fuel boycotts.

The endorsement of Moore marks one of McCarthy’s first campaign moves since a showdown on Capitol Hill over the nation’s borrowing limit. Republicans have a narrow majority in the 435-member chamber.