In the blazing heat, a crowd of more than 100 people, mostly seniors, waited outside for nearly an hour for Gov. Jim Justice to arrive for this year’s West Virginia Day celebration in Wheeling.
No one was particularly surprised that the governor was delayed. “A few members of the crowd even joked that this was typical of the governor,” local reporter Justice Hudson of the Wheeling Free Press later wrote.
When he arrived, Justice told the crowd of people huddled in the shade that he didn’t take his dog with him because he didn’t do well in the heat.
Justice comes delayed and is part of a broader pattern. During his nearly eight years as governor of West Virginia, Justice lived in Lewisburg, two hours from Charleston. Critics, even within his own party, say he rarely works on Capitol Hill.
He is currently the favorite to win the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Senator Joe Manchin, and previously – for over 50 years – by the legendary Senator Robert C. Byrd.
The Senate is not the office of the Governor of West Virginia. Voting takes place regularly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and sometimes on Mondays and Fridays during the session.
A key part of this job is voting, and most senators appear to take this responsibility seriously. During the last session, senators participated in voting an average of 96% of the time.
In an interview, when asked if he would commit to showing up more than 90 percent of the time, Justice said he expected that to happen. But he also protected himself.
“I won’t make any promises,” he said. “I feel like you have to be there unless you get sick or something. But listen, do you think for a moment that we could have accomplished what we accomplished in West Virginia if I hadn’t been at work?
Robert Rupp, a retired professor who taught political science at Wesleyan University in West Virginia, said the governor will have to change his approach to succeed in Congress.
“Right now, the governor is running the state, but he has gotten into a lot of arguments, even with his own party,” he said. “When you are a director, you are responsible. You are the most powerful person in the country. And when you go to the Senate, you’re just one of 100, and that requires more patience than many politicians.”
Justice’s Democratic opponent, Glenn Elliott, said he prepared for the job by working for five years for Sen. Byrd, a Democrat, and observing outgoing Sen. Manchin’s approach.
“I think I would be a much more logical extension of their seniority than hiring someone who, frankly, is going to work part-time,” he said. “Being a senator is a much more time-consuming and labor-intensive job than being governor the way he was governor, and you can’t do that from Lewisburg.”
“He’s the boss of his company and he’s used to telling people what he wants.”
In 2017, Justice’s first year as governor, he brought a platter of what he called “the bull you-know-what” to the state Capitol. He said it represented the budget passed by the Legislature and blamed both Democrats and Republicans for the failure of negotiations with his office. Ultimately, he passed the version of the budget passed by the legislature without a veto, but also without his signature.
Then-state Sen. Mike Romano, D-Harrison, said the governor was an intelligent and skilled negotiator, likely due to his work in business dealings. But Romano said being a CEO also comes with some baggage.
“He’s the boss of his company and he has a habit of telling people what he wants, and whether they agree with it or not, it happens,” Romano said.
Craig Volden, a professor of public policy and politics at the University of Virginia, said it would be essential for the justice to remain in Washington while senators deliberate to build close connections with other lawmakers.
Volden also serves as co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking.
“That’s when you build those relationships,” Volden said. “That’s when you look for support for your legislation.”
Just this year, House Finance Chairman Vernon Criss had to deal with an example of the judiciary’s failure to cooperate with lawmakers when Criss had to announce a last-minute decision. Lawmakers learned from Justice only during the legislative session that it was necessary to reduce the state budget. On the day the House Finance Committee was scheduled to vote on the final budget, lawmakers learned they had to anticipate a potential $465 million in federal reimbursement.
Later, Criss, R-Wood, said the governor needed time to learn he couldn’t “just run us over.” He said the judiciary currently meets with lawmakers when needed and is impressed with the governor’s forward-thinking approach.
Another top Republican, Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, R-Putnam, doesn’t believe the governor has done his homework, at least when it comes to the budget.
Earlier this month, Tarr told West Virginia MetroNews that lawmakers had repeatedly asked the governor for long-term budget projections so they could make decisions more carefully, but the governor said he had given lawmakers all the information they needed.
“I think it may be because the governor just doesn’t understand the budget process,” Tarr said.
“Not just sitting in the office”
Earlier this month, Justice held a celebration at the State Capitol celebrating his Roads to Prosperity road funding initiative. He spent about twenty minutes shaking hands and taking selfies with a long line of highway workers.
At similar events across the state, Justice awards awards, presents checks and promotes other signature initiatives.
In an interview after the event, Justice said he considered travel time and events such as celebrations to be part of his job.
“If you really believe the bullshit about me not showing up or not being in the office or whatever, I go out with people every day,” he said. “I don’t just sit here in an office and get a gold star for perfect attendance.”
Bill Bissett, who served as state director for Sen. Shelley Moore Capito from 2021 to 2024, also said travel is an essential part of the U.S. senator’s job. He said Capito maintains a very demanding travel schedule around the state because it’s essential for her to see the state firsthand and hear from voters.
“He is going to set his own agenda. When he has something to do, he will be there,” Bissett said, referring to Justice’s recent visit to a coal mine.
In a speech at a bill signing ceremony held several months ago for members of the West Virginia State Firefighters Association, Justice said he was running for Senate because, like firefighters, he had the opportunity to serve in public service.
“If you happened to be the one who could win and you could actually make a difference, flip the U.S. Senate and maybe put us on a better path right now, would you do it?” he said.
“I don’t have the slightest desire to go to D.C.,” he said.
