A senator often aligned with Gov. Patrick Morrisey spoke out today against a proposed resolution to prevent people whose memories don’t all gather round her from running for governor of West Virginia.
Senate Joint Resolution 19, sponsored by senators Rupie Phillips and Vince Deeds, initially said, “No person may be elected as or serve as governor, unless that person was born in West Virginia.” Phillips has since proposed, instead, raising the residency requirement from the current minimum of five years to 30 years.
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky. Without 30 years of residency, you would not qualify.
Morrisey was born in New York City and raised in Edison, New Jersey, went to Washington, D.C. to work as a lawyer and lobbyist, moved to Jefferson County in West Virginia in 2006, ran a winning campaign for West Virginia attorney general in 2012 and then won the governor’s race in 2024.
For the resolution to take effect, it has an uphill climb.
It’s been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has not brought it up so far. Two-thirds of the members of the Senate and House of Delegates would need to vote to approve it. Then it would go to a vote of the citizens as a constitutional amendment in 2026.
At the end of today’s legislative floor session, Senator Laura Wakim Chapman rose and said she has been “surprised and disappointed” by the resolution. She said its effect could be to lessen the importance of leadership skills and increase the value of the location of the delivery room.
“West Virginia is a geographically unique state. Our borders are close, very close to our neighbors,” said Chapman, R-Ohio.
Much of Chapman’s speech was based on the original premise of the resolution, that the governor must be born in the state.
“A mother in Brooke County who drives to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, or St. Clairsville, Ohio, to give birth could unknowingly doom her child’s political career before they take their first breath,” Chapman said.
“That child could live here their entire life, pay taxes, coach little league, complain about road construction and still be told ‘Sorry, you were born five miles too far that way.'”
There are almost 17,000 births each year in West Virginia.
West Virginia has had 37 men serve as governor since the state was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863.
Chapman continued by saying the resolution would not be fair to someone like Morrisey.
“The current governor, Patrick Morrisey, is a perfect example of why this matters. While he wasn’t born in West Virginia, he has certainly been working like someone who loves it,” Chapman said, rattling off pieces of the governor’s agenda.
She concluded, “Let’s not disenfranchise voters or future governors over a birth certificate geography lesson. If someone is willing to serve Almost Heaven and deliver results for our people, West Virginia voters should get the final say.”
Phillips then rose and countered her, saying Chapman had missed his message that the resolution’s framework will be changed. His intent now, he said, is to require 30 years total living in the state to be eligible to serve as governor.
“I think that’s a very good compromise,” said Phillips, R-Logan, because at the end of the day I still believe we need West Virginia values. Five years just isn’t enough to understand every corner from Wheeling to War what goes on in West Virginia.”