CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Throughout his two terms, former Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia enacted several socially conservative measures but did not aggressively champion them. Moving from Democrat to Republican, Justice’s focus predominantly lay on economic strategies such as tax relief and programs promoting economic growth. He endorsed the state’s 2022 abortion restrictions without significant public attention, highlighting his preference for economic issues over social ones.
As West Virginia has established itself as a bastion of conservatism over the last decade, the recent transition from Justice to his successor, Governor Patrick Morrisey, could further entrench conservative social policies. Morrisey, who took the oath of office on Monday, presents a markedly different style. Having served as the state attorney general since 2013, he was the first Republican in that position in eight decades, advocating robust defenses not just of abortion limitations but also promoting initiatives like a school voucher system and measures to prevent transgender athletes from participating in sports.
Morrisey is expected to engage more actively with the state Legislature compared to Justice, who was often perceived as disengaged, spending limited time at the Capitol. In his inaugural address, held underneath banners of red, white, and blue, Morrisey committed to making West Virginia more economically competitive by proposing cuts to the state income tax. He praised his relationship with the newly elected president, playfully suggesting that Donald Trump deserves honorary West Virginian status. He also pledged to enhance civics education in schools and combat what he referred to as the “woke virus.”
“No more radical agendas, no more brainwashing, no more confusion about the differences between boys and girls,” Morrisey declared strongly. He asserted that under his leadership, schools would focus on education rather than social experimentation. During a press briefing, he elaborated on his intentions to remove what he called DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) principles from state governance and pledged to actively fight against ‘woke’ ideologies.
Contrasting with Justice, who sometimes expressed dissatisfaction with the right-leaning tendencies of the Legislature—such as when he vetoed a bill aimed at limiting vaccination requirements for alternative public school students—Morrisey has voiced support for adding a religious exemption to vaccine mandates, which currently do not allow for non-medical exclusions.
Mike Pushkin, state chair of the Democratic Party, remarked that Morrisey’s hardline philosophies significantly diverge from Justice’s more moderate stance. “He is more of an ideologue — a true believer,” Pushkin noted, predicting that a more aggressive conservative agenda would surface under Morrisey’s governance.
Morrisey assumes leadership amid a substantial Republican stronghold; West Virginia Republicans dominate the Legislature with a supermajority, having won 123 out of 134 seats. Justice’s recent Senate victory left his mark after defeating a Democrat aligned with former Senator Joe Manchin, who chose not to run again.
GOP state chair Matt Herridge described West Virginia as the “most dominant Republican state in the nation” and presented it as a model for the national party’s strategy. “The people of West Virginia have given the Republican Party a mandate to advance conservative values: reducing government involvement and enhancing personal freedoms,” he emphasized. He portrayed Morrisey as a unifying figure representing a “new Republican Party” with a populist outlook that includes various viewpoints.
During his inaugural speech, Morrisey also referenced his working-class upbringing in New Jersey, highlighting his parents’ hard work—his mother a registered nurse, and his father a WWII veteran and steelworker. He indicated his empathy towards those struggling financially, saying, “The D.C. elites, the news media, Hollywood, they all look down on us. They don’t think we can overcome our challenges.”
Historically, West Virginia was a Democratic stronghold with a strong union presence, reflecting a workers’ identity. However, the state’s political landscape began to shift dramatically during the 2014 general election, fueled largely by sentiments against former President Barack Obama’s efforts to limit emissions from coal-fired power plants. West Virginia even saw a federal inmate in Texas getting 41% of the votes during the 2012 Democratic presidential primary, illustrating deep dissatisfaction with the Democratic establishment.
Since 2014, Republicans have controlled both chambers of the Legislature, and West Virginia alongside Oklahoma was the only state where every county voted for Trump in all three presidential elections from 2016 to 2024. In 2024, Trump secured a remarkable 70% of the vote in West Virginia—the highest percentage nationwide.
In a farewell address last week, Justice highlighted his administration’s accomplishments, including cuts in personal income tax and growth in tourism and infrastructure. He briefly mentioned the abortion debate, saying, “We stood rock solid for life, didn’t we? And anybody on the outside that would wonder about West Virginia, you best know — rock solid, we stand for life in West Virginia.” Although Justice, who has a background in coaching girls’ basketball, expressed pride in having signed a ban on transgender athlete participation, his advocacy was not as prominent as Morrisey, who has defended such measures in court throughout his tenure as attorney general.
“We’re not going to let the elites in the swamp impose their values on West Virginia citizens,” Morrisey asserted last year, revealing plans to escalate matters to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding certain health care coverage for transgender individuals, which had been deemed discriminatory.
