Gov. Patrick Morrisey says he will be directly weighing in on Republican races for the upcoming primary election.
The Republican governor, in a lengthy social media post, said he will be making a series of endorsements for the primary “and will be pressing for the election of a number of fresh faces to the House and Senate.”
This is a deviation from Ronald Reagan’s rule about primary endorsements commonly known as the “Eleventh Commandment,” which states, “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.”
Morrisey, in contrast, posted that “Many elected legislators claim to be Republicans, but in practice are RINOs — Republicans in name only.”
So, the governor advocated for influencing public opinion about the current composition of the Senate and the House “and elect more change agents to public office.”
West Virginia’s primary election is Tuesday, May 12. Early voting is from April 29 to May 9.
This year the Republican Party’s primary will be closed to independents, meaning that only members of the party can vote in it.
It’s a mid-term election this year, so no four-year statewide executive branch offices will be on ballots.
Morrisey, who was elected in 2024, won his Republican primary race that year with 33% of the vote in a divided field.
Much of his rationale for trying to shape legislative chambers is that he faced challenging terrain to try to get his priorities passed.
“Over the past two legislature sessions, I have worked diligently with the House and Senate to achieve important legislative results for our State,” he wrote.
“Unfortunately, this work hasn’t always been easy, as a group of status quo, liberal legislators have opposed our conservative, pro-Trump policies every step of the way.”
In his first Senate endorsement, Morrisey said he is backing Pastor Jonathan Comer in a district sprawling across Fayette, Nicholas, Greenbrier, Summers and Monroe counties.
“He’s the change agent we need in Charleston to lift our state up and protect our children,” Morrisey wrote.
Vince Deeds, also a pastor and retired state trooper, has represented the district since 2022.
Records filed with the Secretary of State’s Office show that first lady Denise Morrisey contributed $2,800 to Comer’s campaign on March 19.