UNITED STATES NEWS

West Virginia’s conservative shift could sharpen under its incoming governor

Jan 12, 2025, 10:01 PM | Updated: Jan 13, 2025, 11:58 am

FILE - Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.Va., arrives to join other Republicans in choosing new leadershi...

FILE - Sen.-elect Jim Justice, R-W.Va., arrives to join other Republicans in choosing new leadership, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a number of socially conservative laws during his two terms in office. But he rarely pushed for them.

The Democrat-turned-Republican, now heading to the U.S. Senate to take over the seat of former Independent U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, instead promoted tax cuts and economic development, approving policies such as the state’s 2022 abortion ban with little public fanfare.

West Virginia has been a conservative stronghold for over a decade, but it could see a shift even further to the right on social policies as one GOP governor replaces another.

Patrick Morrisey, who will be sworn in as Justice’s successor Monday, stands in stark contrast. As state attorney general since 2013 when he became the first Republican to serve in the role in 80 years, Morrisey has emphasized his dogged defense of not only abortion restrictions but also laws creating a school voucher-esque savings account program and prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in sports.

Morrisey will likely take a more hands-on approach with the state Legislature than Justice, who was sometimes accused of being an absentee governor because of his lack of presence at the state Capitol.

During a press conference earlier this month, Morrisey said he planned to “eliminate all vestiges of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) out of state government immediately” and continue a push to “stomp out woke.”

“The politically correct agenda that we saw from the left over the years has no place in West Virginia,” he said.

During his administration, Justice occasionally expressed frustration with the GOP-controlled Legislature for being too extreme, including when he vetoed a bill to curb vaccination requirements for nontraditional public school students last year. In contrast, Morrisey said in a gubernatorial debate last year he would support adding a religious exemption to vaccine requirements in West Virginia. The state currently doesn’t allow nonmedical exemptions.

State Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin said he believes Morrisey’s political philosophy differs greatly from Justice’s.

“I think he’s more of an ideologue — he is a true believer,” Pushkin said. “And so you’re more likely to see a very aggressive conservative agenda.”

Morrisey takes the helm as West Virginia Republicans have secured one of the largest legislative supermajorities in the country, controlling 123 out of 134 seats as well as every one of the state’s board of public works and congressional seats. Justice flipped a seat in the U.S. Senate after Manchin decided not to seek reelection, easily defeating a Manchin-endorsed Democrat.

State GOP Party Chair Matt Herridge described West Virginia as the “most dominant Republican state in the nation” and a blueprint for the national party.

“What the people of West Virginia have given the Republican Party is a mandate, in my opinion, to continue to move forward conservative values: less government, more individual autonomy, less governmental autonomy,” he said.

He described Morrisey as a unifying force for a “new Republican Party,” with a more populist, working-class slant where there is room for differences of opinion, while adding that Justice also fits that mold.

Democrats long ruled the state with a strong union presence and identity as the party of working people, holding supermajorities in both chambers as recently as 2008. But in the 2014 general election, voters in the coal-dependent state steered their disgust toward Democratic President Barack Obama’s efforts to cut carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Obama was so unpopular in West Virginia that a federal inmate in Texas received 41% of the vote in the state’s 2012 Democratic presidential primary.

Republicans took control of both legislative chambers after the 2014 election. West Virginia and Oklahoma were the only states where voters in every county voted to elect Donald Trump as president in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Trump won West Virginia with 70% of the vote in 2024, which was the highest percentage in the nation.

During a legislative farewell address last week, Justice touted achievements in cutting the state’s personal income and other taxes, increasing tourism revenue and infrastructure programs. He spoke about the abortion issue in passing toward the end of his remarks.

“We stood rock solid for life, didn’t we?” he said. “And anybody on the outside that would wonder about West Virginia, you best better know — rock solid, we stand for life in West Virginia.”

Justice, a girls basketball coach, said he “proudly” signed the 2021 law prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in the state, but hasn’t advocated as loudly as Morrisey, who repeatedly defended it in court as attorney general.

“We’re not going to allow the elites in the swamp to impose their values on West Virginia citizens,” Morrisey said last year in announcing he would take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Morrisey also announced his intention this past summer to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review rulings that found the state’s refusal to cover certain health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance discriminatory.

United States News

FILE - The Facebook logo is seen on a cell phone in Boston, USA, Oct. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael D...

Associated Press

Looking for love this Valentine’s Day? Don’t fall for Instagram romance scams

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — If your social media suitor seems too good to be true, it might be a scam. Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms is urging users to stay vigilant about “ romance scams ” ahead of Valentine’s Day, warning of unsolicited messages through its apps and other social media platforms, […]

52 minutes ago

President Donald Trump arrives to greet Marc Fogel at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in W...

Associated Press

The Latest: Consumer protection regulators get fill-in-the-blank firing memos

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s longstanding friendly rapport with President Donald Trump could be tested as the Indian leader kicks off a visit to Washington on Wednesday, eager to avoid tariffs that have been slapped on others and threats of further taxes and imports. More tariffs are expected, however: Trump is taking additional action to upset […]

1 hour ago

FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott A...

Associated Press

Marbury v. Madison, the case that established the courts’ power to review the law, explained

WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to respecting the rulings of courts, President Donald Trump has been of two minds. If the decision goes his way, as it did when the Supreme Court ruled 11 months ago that his name should be on the ballot in Colorado, he hails it as a “BIG WIN FOR […]

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Russian citizen freed in US in exchange for Moscow’s release of American Marc Fogel

The Kremlin said Wednesday that a Russian citizen was freed in the United States in exchange for Moscow’s release of American Marc Fogel. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the unidentified individual would return to Russia “in the coming days,” and when they are in Russia, their name would be revealed. Fogel, an American […]

4 hours ago

FILE - Tiger Stadium is seen before an NCAA football game between LSU and Northwestern State in Bat...

Associated Press

Judge orders LSU to reinstate professor who was removed from class following political comments

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A judge has ordered Louisiana State University to fully reinstate a professor who was removed from his teaching duties last month after he used vulgar language to criticize Gov. Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump during a lecture. The ruling, which allows tenured law professor Ken Levy to return to […]

9 hours ago

Associated Press

Snow and freezing rain pummel the mid-Atlantic while California prepares for likely flooding

Snow, sleet and freezing rain were expected to continue pummeling the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic states Wednesday, while California readied for a storm that could flood areas ravaged by the recent wildfires. Especially heavy snowfall — up to nearly 14 inches (25 centimeters) — was expected in parts of Virginia and West Virginia, according to […]

9 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

The UPS Store

How The UPS Store is giving back to the community

PHOENIX -- As 2024 nears a close, The UPS Store is looking to give back to the Arizona community with the holiday season approaching.

...

Sanderson Ford

Sanderson Ford’s Operation Santa Claus: Spreading holiday cheer through pickleball

Phoenix, AZ – Sanderson Ford, a staple in the Arizona community, is once again gearing up for its annual Operation Santa Claus charity drive.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Why a Heating Tune-Up is Essential Before Winter

PHOENIX, AZ — With cooler weather on the horizon, making sure your heating system is prepped and ready can make all the difference in staying comfortable this winter.

West Virginia’s conservative shift could sharpen under its incoming governor