CHARLESTON – It’s Labor Day weekend and things are starting to heat up for the 2024 elementary school year.
This week, the West Virginia Coal Association released its endorsement of the election cycle. The list included Jim Justice for the U.S. Senate, Carol Miller and Riley Moore for the U.S. House of Representatives, Patrick Morrisey for governor, Mike Stuart for attorney general and Haley Bunn and Charles Trump for the state Supreme Court. All are Republicans, except for the Supreme Court races, which are nonpartisan.
“The 2024 state and federal election cycle is the most important in the history of our industry, which dates back to before West Virginia became a state,” said Chris Hamilton, the group’s president and CEO. “Our industry is challenged like never before and our very existence is at risk. We need political leaders who are willing to pull out all the stops for our company, and we need the 50,000 West Virginians who show up every day at a coal-fired mine or manufacturing plant.
“We will immediately get to work to improve our approved candidates’ chances of winning in the spring.”
Of Justice Hamilton said the coal industry considers the race to be as significant as the presidential race.
“This race could decide control of the Senate and whether New York Democrat Chuck Schumer will continue to set the agenda, appoint committee chairs and call the shows,” Hamilton said. “We believe West Virginia will be better served with new and insightful leadership in the Senate, which is why we offer our unconditional support for Jim Justice to succeed Senator Joe Manchin.”
Justice, who is completing his final term as governor, said coal is an significant part of the state’s economy and history.
“I will always fight for coal and you won’t find a stronger supporter of coal in the US Senate,” he said. “Coal will lead America to energy independence, just as it did under President Trump.
“I will always put America first; our energy workers and American coal, oil and gas will lead to energy independence.”
For the state’s two U.S. House seats, the group is backing incumbent Miller and Moore, who is currently state treasurer.
Hamilton said Morrisey is their choice among four solid choices for governor. The other two he mentioned were Chris Miller, Moore Capito and Mac Warner.
“Chris Miller is an accomplished entrepreneur and philanthropist with numerous businesses across the state and region, and he has tremendous promise for the future,” Hamilton said. “Moore Capito, son of U.S. Senator Shelly Moore Capito, we know and respect. He did outstanding work in the Legislature and as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He is an accomplished energy lawyer, and we have always supported his candidacy and have endorsed him many times.
“The same can be said for our current Secretary of State Mac Warner, whom we previously endorsed. He is a top-notch individual, has done a commendable job as secretary of state, and represents West Virginia admirably.”
Hamilton said Morrisey is most ready to push back against Democrats’ attacks on the coal industry.
“Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has brought another legal challenge aimed at stopping or restraining President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency from eliminating coal from America’s energy mix,” Hamilton said. “We are grateful to General Morrisey and believe he is best qualified to lead our state forward in these unprecedented times. We are proud to announce our support for Patrick Morrisey for Governor.
Hamilton said all three AG candidates are also solid.
“There are three great candidates running for attorney general who are friends of coal,” he said. “Current State Auditor J.B. McCuskey and State Senator Ryan Weld are honorable individuals with great futures in politics.
“State Senator Mike Stuart has taken action in many ways to defend and support the coal industry in West Virginia. He is the son of a miner and a state-owned coalfield. During President Trump’s nomination to be U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. Stuart is uniquely qualified to support the programs initiated under General Morrisey, and we are pleased to endorse him for Attorney General.”
Hamilton said the state Supreme Court “is extremely important to the business climate and stability we currently enjoy in West Virginia.”
“The Supreme Court is as brilliant as ever, and the addition of Judge Bunn to the bench has only strengthened it,” Hamilton said. “Justice Bunn is incredibly vivid, understands the rule of law and is an inspiration to our youth. We wholeheartedly support her candidacy.
“We also support Charlie Trump’s candidacy for the second open seat on the Supreme Court. Trump, of Morgan County, is held in the highest esteem in West Virginia’s legislative and judicial circles. As a lawyer and absolute statesman, no one is better prepared and deserves the name “Justice”.
MetroNews also released its latest West Virginia poll, which shows Justice has a significant lead (58-26) over Rep. Alex Mooney in the GOP U.S. Senate primary, as well as a lead over Manchin (51-38) in a possible battle before the general election.
The results were announced Sept. 1 during the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s annual business summit. It was conducted by Research America. It showed Manchin would have a slight lead (45-41) over Mooney if they faced off in the general election.
However, it also showed that Justice’s approval rating has dropped five points to 56% since 2021. Manchin’s approval rating increased from 42% to 51% during that time.
“It’s no surprise that West Virginians overwhelmingly support Gov. Jim Justice in his U.S. Senate election,” said Roman Stauffer, manager of the Justice Campaign. “He has a robust history of tax cuts, economic growth and conservative performance.
“No one in West Virginia knows Alex Mooney, the RINO in this race to take $13.5 million from the Trump-hating Caucus for NO Growth, but that’s not surprising for someone so irrelevant and ineffective representing West Virginia in Congress.”
The poll also shows Capito leading in the gubernatorial primary, ahead of Morrisey, Miller and Warner, respectively. These percentages are 32, 23, 9 and 7, with 29% undecided.
The poll also found that 66 percent of respondents disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing. It also showed former President Donald Trump’s popularity dropped to 49 percent, down from 56 percent in 2020.
Morrisey’s campaign discounted the poll results, calling it counterfeit news. In doing so, however, he failed to mention that he had followed Capito’s lead in the governor’s findings.
“Any poll that shows President Trump has 49% approval in West Virginia is laughable on its face,” said Jai Chabria, Morrisey’s senior strategist. “The same poll also shows Manchin is more popular than President Trump in West Virginia. How many people believe this? Patrick Morrisey stands next to Donald Trump and looks forward to winning the primary with him next May.
“When voters compare the only proven conservative candidate in this race against the liberal establishment favorite, the proven conservative will win hands down. Patrick Morrisey is the only proven conservative running for governor and is well-positioned to defeat a liberal establishment candidate.”
