Teresa Toriseva is currently running for Attorney General in West Virginia | Photo courtesy of
CHARLESTON — Teresa Toriseva sees herself as a strong advocate for West Virginia in her campaign for attorney general.
Toriseva, an attorney with 30 years of courtroom experience, is staking her claim as a consumer advocate and fighter for ordinary West Virginians, challenging current State Auditor J.B. McCuskey for the position.
Toriseva outlined her vision for the Attorney General’s office, placing a strong emphasis on transparency, outreach and expanding access to justice.
“I envision myself being an aggressive consumer protection advocate and regulator,” Toriseva, a Democrat, said in an interview West Virginia record. “I hope to be characterized as an attorney general who responds to and responds to her clients – the people of West Virginia.”
Toriseva’s plans, if elected, include expanding the attorney general’s office’s physical presence across the state by creating more support offices.
“Every part [of the state] it is so geographically unique and the problems in these areas are unique,” Toriseva said, emphasizing the importance of direct contacts in regions such as the eastern part of the south, the northern part of the south and the southern coal deposits.
She said technology will also play a key role in its outreach efforts. By leveraging digital tools, Toriseva aims to ensure West Virginians feel heard and connected to the office, regardless of where they live.
In addition to his outreach efforts, Toriseva intends to be aggressive in court, particularly when it comes to investigating lawbreakers and protecting West Virginians.
“The Attorney General’s investigation is really the only thing that can reveal the truth and protect West Virginians at scale,” Toriseva said, adding that she would be “aggressive in court, aggressive in the investigation and aggressive in my communications.”
Toriseva noted that during Morrisey’s tenure, the office was politicized and driven by personal ambition rather than the needs of West Virginians.
“Patrick Morrisey ran the office in the best political interests of Patrick Morrissey without considering what was actually in the best interests of the people of West Virginia when making decisions,” Toriseva said.
As for her opponent, Republican McCuskey, Toriseva doesn’t see much difference between him and Morrisey.
“Another candidate will present more of the same,” she said. “He is a politically ambitious person, and I am an ambitious person when it comes to helping people in West Virginia.”
Toriseva also identified several urgent legal challenges facing the state, the most critical of which are spotless water, workplace safety and ensuring ordinary citizens have access to the courts.
“One of the biggest issues facing West Virginians is making sure our courts are open to regular people because our money matters, our jobs matter, our businesses matter, our children matter, our issues matter matters, and law enforcement matters,” she said.
Toriseva’s legal experience, particularly in representing people in courtrooms in West Virginia and across the country, she believes uniquely qualifies her for the role of attorney general.
“I have 30 years of representing real people in real courtrooms… and in that respect I am unique compared to my opponent,” she said.
Toriseva is a longtime resident of Wheeling. She is a graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University and West Virginia University College of Law, where she received high honors. After 10 years of practicing law in Charleston, she returned to Wheeling, where she raised a family and established her own firm, Toriseva Law.
