“There are a lot of problems with how Darrell McGraw has conducted himself.”
And Republican Attorney General Candidate Patrick Morrisey says those issues are what he’ll focus on as he makes a last minute push for votes during the less than two weeks remaining before Election Day.
“I think if people were to see him in public view and ask him a lot of questions, they would realize that he’s not really running the office of Attorney General anymore,” Morrisey said of McGraw on Tuesday’s MetroNews Talkline.
“That’s really a task that’s fallen to his staff. And, I think, we need to make sure that we actually have an Attorney General in that office, not just an Office of Attorney General.”
Morrisey, a national health care lawyer, claims McGraw has made “impaired” judgments that have not benefited West Virginia.
“He’s flawed in his decision making and is not able to make sound decisions. He’s not able to communicate well with the Governor and with the state agencies and the Legislature,” Morrisey said.
He cites McGraw’s unwillingness to debate, his support for an increase to AG spending during this election year, legal errors with Medicare and McGraw’s decision to opt out of joining the 26 other states that filed the original lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act as examples of “flawed” decision making.
“When you’re a public official, you have to be ethical and honorable in office,” Morrisey said. “I’ve been very disappointed with how Darrell McGraw has conducted his campaign because he’s not been willing to debate and subject his record to public scrutiny.”
McGraw was first elected Attorney General in 1992. Prior to that, he served on the West Virginia Supreme Court. He has said agreeing to a debate with Morrisey would only draw more attention to the Jefferson County lawyer.
“I don’t know any reason to advance the cause of a man who has shown up in West Virginia, whose life history has been one of opposing the interests of the people,” McGraw said, earlier this month, on MetroNews Talkline.
Morrisey’s appearance on Tuesday’s MetroNews Talkline is part of a series of interviews with the statewide candidates that will continue until the November 6th General Election.
Early voting begins Wednesday.