CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A West Virginia state senator wants to change what it takes to run for governor of West Virginia, proposing a Senate resolution to raise the residency requirement from a minimum of five years to 30 years.
Sen. Rupie Phillips, R-Logan, hopes his proposal can guarantee candidates for governor that reflect what he calls “West Virginia values.”
“I just don’t think that someone that comes in just because they want to use it as a stepping stone or something for a future office—I just think they need to be more in touch with the people,” he said Thursday on MetroNews Talkline.
Current Gov. Patrick Morrisey was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey before moving to West Virginia. Phillips said his resolution is not an attack on the governor but an effort to make sure the state’s chief executive understands their constituency.
“I’m seeing things that I don’t see as West Virginia traditional values, so I just feel we need to look down the road. This ain’t kicking Gov. Morrisey out. This is just putting it off until 2028; in the elections, the governor would have to have lived in West Virginia for a total of 30 years,” he said.
Phillips’ original proposal required candidates for governor to be born in West Virginia, but after talking to fellow lawmakers, he altered the plan to instead raise the minimum residency. He said his ultimate goal is to help West Virginia remain the state he knows it to be.
“I want to be able to come back home; if I would go away and come back, I want West Virginia to be the same as it was when I left, and I don’t want someone coming in here that’s only been here for five years, if that’s what it is, or six or seven. I want them to have more West Virginia values and understand the state a little bit better than just five years,” he said.
Importantly, the proposal is a Senate resolution, rather than a bill. As a result, the process for turning it into a law is different.
Should the resolution pass the legislature, it would result in a ballot measure.
“It’d come to the floor for a vote, and then we’d send it over to the House, and they would do the same thing, and then from there it’d go to the Secretary of State’s Office to be put on the ballot. The governor can’t veto it. This is a process between the two chambers,” Phillips said.
There is no concern in Phillips’ mind for potential backlash inside the Capitol in the aftermath of putting his ideas forward. He believes this proposal is in line with his core values and doesn’t worry if that hurts him in future elections.
“I love being here. I love serving the state of West Virginia and my district. I’m from Buffalo Creek down in Man, but I don’t have to be here, so I’m not going to worry about not getting reelected over something I introduce. I believe, again, in our West Virginia values,” he said.