State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has won the Republican nomination for West Virginia governor, in a crowded GOP field to succeed Gov. Jim Justice.
The Associated Press called the race for Morrisey at 10:25 p.m., about three hours after the polls closed in West Virginia. With 92% of ballots counted, Morrisey led with 33% of the vote.
Morrisey narrowly defeated his closest competition, former State Rep. Moore Capito, who received 27.8% support. The field also included businessman Chris Miller, who received 20.4% support and State Secretary of State Mac Warner, who received 16.1% of the vote. The race included two lesser-known candidates, Kevin Christian and Mitch Roberts, who both received 1.4% in the race.
Morrisey has been known for mounting legal challenges against the Obama and Biden administrations on environmental regulations and more. Capito, the grandson of former West Virginia Republican Gov. Arch Moore Jr., was elected to the House in 2016 representing Kanawha County. He serves as chair of the West Virginia Legislature’s House Judiciary Committee.
Many of the candidates running have ties to West Virginia politics. Morrisey ran against outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) in 2018 whereas Capito’s mother is Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Miller’s mother is current Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV).
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Morrisey will face Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, the Democratic nominee, in November.
