CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is not running for U.S. Senate as of Tuesday, but he did announce he is “seriously considering” a campaign for 2018 and intends to make a decision in the next two months.
“I’m tired of the dysfunction in Congress and the inability of D.C. politicians to advance conservative values that help our state,” Morrisey said in his statement.
Morrisey, a Republican, said he has won “major nation fights” regarding policies from former President Barack Obama’s administration. This includes leading a 27-state effort against the Clean Power Plan.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered a hold on April 28 as the Environmental Protection Agency reviews the policy.
President Donald Trump ordered the review in a March 28 executive order.
“Perhaps no single regulation threatens our miners, workers and companies more than this crushing attack on American industry,” Trump said prior to the signing.
Morrisey also said his office led the fights against federal immigration programs, regulations on water protection and the issues related to drug use.
“But now we desperately need to make additional progress on the federal level,” he said. “As President Trump works to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C., he will need help from West Virginia in the 2018 elections.”
Morrisey also took a swing at U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., saying West Virginia “could do better.”
“Manchin supported Hillary Clinton and Obama, cap and trade, Obamacare, and higher taxes, while waffling on core matters involving Israel and our national security,” Morrisey said. “Manchin also cozied up to the Washington elite, selling out our 2nd Amendment rights and the unborn.”
A politician Morrisey did not include in his statement was U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., who announced May 8 his intention to challenge Manchin.
While Morrisey has not mentioned Jenkins’ name directly since his announcement, Morrisey has published multiple tweets relating to the Senate race.
“Looks like Obama and Hillary now have two candidates running for US Senate in WV,” Morrisey tweeted May 8. “No, thank you. We can actually elect a real conservative.”
Looks like Obama and Hillary now have two candidates running for US Senate in WV. No, thank you. We can actually elect a real conservative.
— AG Patrick Morrisey (@MorriseyWV) May 9, 2017
“In 2018, voters in WV will need to decide whether to vote for R & D candidates who supported Hillary or Obama or a conservative,” he tweeted May 25.
In 2018, voters in WV will need to decide whether to vote for R & D candidates who supported Hillary or Obama or a conservative. #wvpol
— AG Patrick Morrisey (@MorriseyWV) May 26, 2017
“Momentum will gain strength if the WV GOP embraces an actual conservative for US Senate in 2018 — no conservatives are currently running,” he said May 28.
Momentum will gain strength if the WV GOP embraces an actual conservative for US Senate in 2018 — no conservatives are currently running.
— AG Patrick Morrisey (@MorriseyWV) May 29, 2017
A super PAC — 35th PAC — was formed in support of a Morrisey bid. On the committee’s website, it compares Jenkins and Manchin to “two peas in a pod,” connecting Jenkins’ time as a state senator to Manchin.
Jenkins was a registered Democrat from February 1993 to July 2013, prior to his 2014 campaign for the 3rd Congressional District seat.
Morrisey would not enter the race with a clean history; his office has been involved in lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies he has ties to because of previous lobbying work. In addition, Planned Parenthood gave around $500,000 to a lobbying firm in which Morrisey’s wife has an ownership stake.
Former coal miner Bo Copley announced May 3 his intention for the Republican nomination. Copley earned national attention after challenging Hillary Clinton during a May 2016 campaign stop.
Paula Jean Swearengin, a Glen White activist, said in a May 9 Facebook video she will challenge Manchin for the Democratic nomination. Brand New Congress, an organization founded by former Bernie Sanders presidential campaign staffers, is supporting Swearengin’s campaign.