CHARLESTON, WV (WOAY) – Former President Donald Trump has made a second endorsement in West Virginia’s elections this year. He endorsed Governor Jim Justice for the United States Senate ahead of the May 14 primary.
Now, with the primary election settling in the rearview mirror, he has endorsed Republican nominee for governor and current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.
“Patrick has been a wonderful Attorney General, and will now be an incredible Governor who will fight tirelessly to stop Inflation, grow the Economy, restore Energy DOMINANCE, secure our Border, strengthen our Military/Vets, and protect and defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump said in his endorsement post on Truth Social, his social media platform.
It’s a major sign of confidence in Morrisey as the former President makes his own campaign in a bid to regain the White House. It isn’t something Morrisey takes lightly.
“Voters in West Virginia want their next governor to be able to work closely with the next Trump administration. We’ve done a lot of work with President Trump over the years,” Morrisey said. “I’m humbled by this endorsement. And I think it’s also going to resonate very well with the people of the state.”
The endorsement came exactly one week after a contentious primary that saw attack ads traded by issue groups and candidates. Morrisey finished on top of a crowded primary field. In his endorsement, Trump praised two of Morrisey’s challengers but didn’t specify who he was talking about.
Now, Morrisey is looking to leave that election in the past and focus on party unity ahead of the general election.
“I’ve spoken with Mac Warner, I’ve spoken with Chris Miller, I’ve spoken with Moore Capito. Obviously, we’ve been talking extensively with the Trump campaign. I think everyone’s coming together and this is going to be a unified party, and it makes a big difference,” Morrisey said.
Unity is something Trump echoed in his endorsement message, asking West Virginia Republicans to work together to ensure a “tremendous” win in the general election. Morrisey will take on Steve Williams, the mayor of Huntington.
Morrisey wants to focus on the issues as he continues his campaign through the summer.
“If one thing that people can expect in the upcoming months is that we’re going to continue to run on my record of delivering big results for West Virginia, that’s what we’ve done over the last year, and I think it’s critical that we have someone who, on day one, is going to be ready,” Morrisey said. “We’re going to make sure we’re tackling the big challenges reducing or eliminating certain taxes, increasing our standard of living, driving educational attainment, having an infrastructure that we feel really good about and internet that doesn’t move at the speed of slow, we’re going to keep talking about those issues that resonated so well.”
