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Justice Endorses Moore Capito For Governor

One day after telling statehouse reporters he was still considering who to endorse in the hotly contested Republican primary for governor, the outgoing office holder, Gov Jim Justice, announced his pick; Moore Capito.

Update on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 12:45 p.m.

In a released statement responding to the Justice endorsement, Moore Capito spoke of a partnership.

“Governor Justice is a leader of generational consequence,” Capito said in the statement. “It is a true honor to have earned his endorsement. I’ve greatly enjoyed working alongside Governor Justice, watching and learning from him while we were getting big things done for the people of West Virginia. With Governor Justice at the helm, West Virginia has serious momentum and we’re on the right track toward becoming a 21st century powerhouse. Now is the time to take us to the next level. As Governor, I look forward to working with Senator Justice to keep getting it done for West Virginia by generating new opportunities for West Virginians and those who want to come here for our Wild Wonderful way of life.”

Original Story

In a press release sent out late Thursday afternoon, Justice said “We have good candidates, and I admire each for their individual accomplishments,” But he settled on the candidate who came out last September and endorsed him in his campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Moore Capito, former House Judiciary Chairman and candidate for governor.

*Photo Credit: Perry Bennett/WV Legislative Photography*

“I am honored to announce my wholehearted endorsement for Moore Capito for Governor and that I will support him in every way,” Justice said in his release. “He is from a family of thoroughbreds: from his three-time-elected Governor-grandfather Arch Moore to his current United States Senator-mother Shelley Moore Capito, Moore has shown he has the vision and knowledge to elevate West Virginia, and I am proud to wish him success.”

The writing was on the wall for this endorsement. Justice gained the endorsement of Moore Capito’s mother, Sen. Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., when he announced his Senate run last April. In December, Moore Capito announced his resignation from the House of Delegates, to focus on his gubernatorial campaign, during one of Justice’s online statewide media briefings.

The Justice endorsement of Moore Capito also referred to the negative campaign ads for governor between two opponents, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and businessman Chris Miller. Their messages center on who is more pro-former President Donald Trump, or anti-transgender.

“As I have watched this campaign mature, however, I am saddened by the ridiculous mudslinging” Justice said. “I have realized only one candidate is laser focused on continuing to keep us on the path of goodness for all of us. I think only one truly understands that we got here by pulling the rope together. Our great turnaround story still has chapters to be written, and I believe one candidate is prepared to keep the course.”

Professor John Kilwein, chair of the Department of Political Science at West Virginia University, says the Justice endorsement of Moore Capito makes sense within some of the state’s politically established circles.

“There’s an establishment that looks at the race for governor and I don’t think they probably like what they see and would probably rather see Moore Capito than then the two people who are ahead in the polls,” Kilwein said.

The latest polling from the WV MetroNews West Virginia Poll shows a close Republican Gubernatorial primary race at the top. Morrisey leads with support from 31 percent of registered Republican voters and independent voters who will request a Republican ballot. Capito is at 29 percent. Chris Miller, son of U.S. Representative Carol Miller, stands at 16 percent. The fourth major candidate, Secretary of State Mac Warner, registered at 12 percent in the poll. The poll had 10 percent of Republican voters saying they were still unsure.

Some prevailing political analysis speculates the far-right campaign war between Morrisey and Miller may bode well for Capito among more centrist and independent voters. Kilwein says he is not so sure.

“That would make a lot of sense to me in the general election, but in the primary? I’m not exactly sure,” Kilwein said. “I think that Morrissey and Miller probably have tapped into the kind of the things that animate that electorate. I don’t know that that fear is going to wake up people, independents, who are kind of sitting it out.”

Kilwein did offer the caveat that there are still three weeks until West Virginia’s primary election. He’s ‘not sure how many are paying attention.’

Moore Capito Resigns From House Of Delegates

In an unusual departure from administration news, Del. Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, joined Gov. Jim Justice’s regular briefing Thursday to announce that he would be stepping aside from his elected position as delegate and chairman of the Judiciary Committee to focus on his campaign for governor.

“I have informed the Speaker of the same, that I will step aside from my role in the House of Delegates so that I can focus my full attention on the people of West Virginia,” Capito said, referring to Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay.

Capito has endorsed Justice in his run for the U.S. Senate, but the governor says giving Capito this platform to campaign and make a resignation announcement is not an endorsement.

“We’ve got multiple candidates and everything,” Justice said. “I’ll make a decision as we go forward.”

The regular session of the West Virginia Legislature begins Jan. 10. The vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has been Delegate Tom Fast, R-Fayette,

Capito is the son of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and the grandson of the late Gov. Arch Moore. He announced his campaign for governor last year.

Capito was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2016. He was named House Judiciary Committee Chairman in 2020.

The 2024 West Virginia Legislature regular session begins Jan. 10. The House Judiciary Committee Vice-Chair is Del. Tom Fast, R-Fayette.

Justice said Capito came to him requesting this announcement platform Wednesday night.

“He’s done a heck of a nice job and he’s a great young man and has an incredible family,” Justice said. “I have not given any thought on who’s going to replace his House seat.”

Campaign Donors In Primary Race For Governor Spark Voter Attention

There’s more to glean from a candidate’s campaign financial reports than the amount of money raised. Who and where the contributions come from can spark voter alerts.

There’s more to glean from a candidate’s campaign financial reports than the amount of money raised. Who and where the contributions come from can be a reason for voter alerts.

Third quarter campaign finance reports in the West Virginia governor’s race show the four leading candidates, all Republican, raised nearly $1.2 million combined. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey accounted for nearly half that amount.

Marybeth Beller, Marshall University associate professor of Political Science, looked closely at in-state versus out-of-state contributions. She noted that of the two front-runners, 57 percent of Del. Moore Capito’s donations came from West Virginia donors, while 83 percent of Morrisey’s donors come from out-of-state. Beller said voters should pay attention to that.

“Voters need to really be wary, no matter who the candidate is, if the bulk of that candidate’s support is coming from outside the state,” Beller said. “What did those out-of-state interests have? And what are they trying to get from the gubernatorial position in West Virginia?”

The quarterly reports list donors that have given contributions under $250. Each donation is counted separately, creating multiple donations from single sources.

Beller noted that among the four leading candidates, businessman Chris Miller had 78 donations under $250, with just four multiple donations.

Secretary of State Mac Warner listed 281 individuals donating under $250 with 17 multiples. Capito had 322 individual donations with 25 multiple donors.

Morrisey reported 21,990 individual donations, with most from donors that contributed small amounts multiple times. Beller said this counting system can skew campaign ads.

“Morrisey can say in his ads that he has nearly 22,000 people contribute individual donations,” Beller said. “What would be misleading is for the audience to think that that meant they were individual donors. Most of those are recurring donations.”

Beller said that unlike his competitors, where most contributors list their address and occupation, the bulk of Morrisey’s contributors are unidentified.

“I would urge the Secretary of State’s office to really investigate those disclosures,” Beller said. “I think the public deserves to know where these contributions are coming from for all of the candidates.”

Moore Capito Announces 2024 Run For W.Va. Governor

Del. Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, announced Tuesday on social and commercial media he is running for West Virginia governor in 2024.

Capito represents the 35th district in the House, where he serves as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. In 2020, as Chairman of the West Virginia Republican Legislative Committee, he was the architect of the first Republican supermajority in history of West Virginia.

Capito calls himself a West Virginia conservative Republican. In a press release, he said his administration would reduce taxes, incentivize investment in the state’s natural resources and improve student achievement.

On his website, Capito said after graduating college, he worked in Washington, D.C., to begin his career in public service. He said he worked for the Republican Majority in the United States Congress, and served on the staff of the Secretary of Defense.

Capito is the son of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and the grandson of former governor and congressman Arch Moore. Capito’s cousin, State Treasurer Riley Moore, recently announced he is running for U.S. Congress.

Businessman Chris Miller, the son of U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va, has announced he is running for governor. State Auditor J.B. McCuskey announced Tuesday morning he is considering a run for governor, and Secretary of State Mac Warner wrote a letter to supporters hinting at a run for governor in 2024. All are Republicans.

No Democrats have announced a run for governor yet.