You can watch a replay of it Ceremony here.
CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) was officially sworn in to the state’s highest seat in an inauguration ceremony on Monday.
Morrisey succeeds Jim Justice (R-WV), who was elected to the U.S. Senate in the 2024 general election. Former West Virginia State Comptroller JB McCuskey was sworn in as the state’s new attorney general, taking over Morrisey’s former position.
“Today is the beginning of a new era. A symbolic new beginning for our state,” Morrisey said in his inaugural address. “Today we set our sights on something truly great – a future in which West Virginia thrives in this bright mountain state.”
Until his inauguration, Morrisey had served as Attorney General of West Virginia since 2012. He is married to the current First Lady Denise and they have a daughter, Julia. Morrisey is the son of a World War II veteran and a VA nurse. He is the first in his family to complete college and law school.
Morrisey’s court victories are considered historic for the Mountain State, with record-breaking opioid settlements and West Virginia vs. EPA considered one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most pivotal victories.
The governor’s inauguration ceremony began with the conventional invocation, delivered this year by Deacon David Galvin.
One of current Governor Morrisey’s biggest goals for his term is to create an economic “backyard brawl” with amiable competition between neighboring states. He says he wants West Virginia to be a role model when it comes to jobs, opportunities and quality of life.
He added that reducing state income taxes to levels lower than in all of our neighboring states is an critical part of this plan. He also encourages people from outside the state to consider calling West Virginia home.
“But this economic boom. It’s about more than just reducing taxes and bureaucracy. It’s about unlocking the full potential of our people and engaging in spirited competition every day. Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky – we’re here for you economically,” Morrisey said.
With West Virginia ranked near the bottom in education, Morresy hopes to change that. He says it’s crucial to focus on learning the basics and incorporating contemporary methods. He says good education starts with teachers, which is why he plans to raise salaries compared to surrounding states.
Beyond the benchmark, Morrisey wants to eliminate the “woke virus” in schools.
“We will teach our children civics and banish the woke virus from schools. “And that means that from now on there will be no more DEI, no more radical agendas, no more brainwashing and no more confusion about the differences between boys and girls,” Morrisey said.
The new governor also hopes to expand the Hope Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to students attending public or private schools in West Virginia.
The dedication celebrations also included a religious breakfast Monday morning and a parade Monday afternoon featuring dozens of high school bands from across the state. The celebration ends Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. with fireworks at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. The fireworks will be followed by the opening dinner. The evening ends with the black opening ball.
In the gubernatorial race, Morrisey faced four competitors: then-Huntington Mayor Steve Williams (D), Erika Klie-Kolenich (L), S. Marshall Wilson (C) and Chase Linko-Looper (M).
The majority of all counties voted for Morrisey, but the race in Cabell County, where Huntington is located, was slightly closer. Morrisey won by just under 2,000 votes. according to the Secretary of State’s website.
For a full breakdown of each county and how they voted, see the interactive graphic below. If you have problems using the graphic, click Here.
!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;e[r].style.height=i}}))}();
Because it’s a ruby red state, West Virginia’s key elections were all called for Republicans, and pretty quickly too. The presidential and U.S. Senate races went to Donald Trump and Justice, respectively.
