Gubernatorial candidates Patrick Morrisey and Moore Capito are running neck and neck, according to the latest MetroNews West Virginia Poll.
Morrisey has support of 31% of registered Republican voters and independent voters who will request a Republican ballot, while Capito has 29%, according to the poll results released today.
Chris Miller came in with 16% support while Mac Warner was at 12 percent. The poll had 10% of Republican voters still unsure, with the remainder saying they favor some other candidate.
The bottom line is, the race for the Republican nomination for governor is tight, too close to call, said Rex Repass, president of Research America, which conducted the MetroNews West Virginia Poll, sponsored by The Health Plan.
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“Votes are being spread around,” Repass said today on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”
The MetroNews West Virginia Poll surveyed 400 likely Republican voters between April 3 and 9. Respondents in all 55 counties were included in the sampling frame. The data collection was online and by telephone.
The overall confidence level is +/- 4.9 percentage points.
The competitive nature of the governor’s race illustrates voter appetite for the primary election, Repass suggested.
Rex Repass
“I do think there is a high level of enthusiasm,” Repass said in a telephone interview today.
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“Particularly the governor’s race is a very important election in this state, and there’s probably more enthusiasm about this primary than there will be about the general election.”
The West Virginia Poll snapshot differs from a separate poll of the race released late last month. That poll, conducted by Nexstar broadcasting and Emerson College, showed Morrisey ahead with 32.9%. Next in that poll came a large number of undecided voters, 28.9%. Following that were Miller at 16.2%, Capito at 14.4% and Warner at 6.2%.
Repass said those differences could be explained by polling methodology. He said the West Virginia Poll was geared toward finding people who are serious about the election and planning to vote — and then exploring their voting preferences.
West Virginia’s primary election is May 14. The early voting period for the primary election starts on Wednesday, May 1, and ends on Saturday, May 11.
Morrisey is a three-term attorney general. Capito is a former House Judiciary Committee chairman, son of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito and grandson of three-term Gov. Arch Moore.
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Miller runs his family’s network of businesses including car dealerships, and he’s the son of incumbent Congresswoman Carol Miller and grandson of longtime Congressman Sam Devine of Ohio. Warner is a two-term secretary of state and Army veteran whose brothers have also been involved in state political activity.
The only Democrat in the race is Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.
The MetroNews West Virginia Poll shows Morrisey with an advantage among registered Republican voters. Capito, while still strong with registered Republicans, gain an advantage among independent voters requesting the Republican ballot.
Repass concluded the election will be decided based on turn-out of strong conservative Republicans (who are more likely to support Morrisey and Miller) and independents who are more likely to support Capito.
Morrisey has characterized himself as “a proven conservative” who has consistently battled the Biden administration during his time as attorney general. Miller has described his commitment to “boldly defending West Virginia values” and “standing up to the woke” agenda.
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Morrisey and Miller appear to be fighting it out for strong conservatives – likely taking votes from each other, Repass said. The Morrisey and Miller campaigns each have a strong financial position and heavy campaign advertising rotations.
“The wildcard is Miller and $3 million heavy ad buys – what effect will that have, and when? In all likelihood, that effect will come in the last two weeks of the campaign,” Repass said.
Capito has described himself as “a get-it-done conservative” who has highlighted some culture issues like banning sanctuary cities. His campaign has also drawn support from other areas, including an endorsement last week by the United Mine Workers of America.
“If Republicans turn out strong and independents are less than, say, 25 percent or less than 20 percent of those who vote Republican, then I think Morrisey ahs a very good chance to win,” Repass said.
“On the other hand, if independents who request a Republican ballot turn out greater than 25 percent of the total vote then I think Moore Capito may have a better chance to win.”
Trump says soaring college football costs are hitting sports
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (March 6) said the soaring cost of paying for football at colleges was harming school sports in general and the problem would need to be addressed by legislation, adding he might sign an executive order about it.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez called for major college football to reorganize into regional divisions.
He proposed about 60 teams should pool their television revenue and share it.
His comments came as Congress considers a bill to allow the pooling of TV rights among schools.
FRISCO, TX − West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez made a public plea for some reason and logic to return to major college football after decades of conference expansion, contraction and realignment from coast to coast.
He made his pitch at his news conference at the annual Big 12 Conference media days here Wednesday, July 8. Rodriguez proposes about 60 teams to come together, share their money and divide themselves into regional sections, sort of like how college football used to be with the former Big East, Pac-12, Big 12, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast Conferences.
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“Can’t we all come together and shake hands and give each other a group hug and then have an Eastern regional and a South regional and a North regional, and then everybody share the money?” Rodriguez said. “And, you know, with this money for everybody, we all can get along, like 60 of us or so. I think that would be great. I don’t know. Did anybody else say that? Probably not. They might be afraid. Hell, I don’t care.”
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Rodriguez, 63, made his comments in the context of his team not playing rival Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl again until 2029. They used to play regularly as independents and then members of the Big East before Pitt left to join the ACC in 2013. Since then, realignment has ripped apart regional leagues such as the Pac-12, which saw four marquee West Coast teams depart in 2024 to pursue more money in the Big Ten while others left for the Big 12 and ACC.
Meanwhile, Congress is considering a bill, the Protect College Sports Act, that would allow the pooling of television rights between more than 100 schools. It aims to spread the wealth more beyond just two dominant leagues.
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“I’m not speaking for anybody other than Coach Rod, that he would love for all the Power Four teams to come together, shake hands, and then, hey, let’s pick the biggest TV package in the history of TV packages,” Rodriguez said. “And then we could have Pitt, Virginia Tech and Penn State and Maryland and Cincinnati and maybe Virginia or North Carolina, one of those, all right there. And our fans could drive to it. You know, we have a rivalry every year, and everybody makes money. Nobody gets fired. Players did good.”
Rodriguez noted his pitch might not fly in today’s world but wanted to throw it out there before it’s too late. He previously served as head coach at Michigan and Arizona.
“Wouldn’t that be fun?” he asked. “Can we put that together? I got all the (athletic directors) out there shaking their head like I’m nuts. I’m just, I mean, this is, you know, I got more time, a lot more time behind me than ahead of me. I want to just get this thing right before I leave.”
A tiny West Virginia town has been left without a police department after every officer was fired following a dispute over an apparent break-in at the department’s evidence room.
The Barrackville Police Department announced in a Facebook post Tuesday that, effective immediately, every member of the department had been relieved of duty by the Barrackville Town Council and Mayor Tom Straight.
A former sergeant, identified only as Sgt. Hunt, told 12 News he arrived at the department Tuesday morning and found the evidence room had been broken into.
Barrackville, W.Va., was left without a police department after the town relieved every officer of duty. Barrackville Police Department / Facebook
Hunt said he immediately called a meeting with Straight and the town council.
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According to Hunt, council members had previously said they wanted to inventory the department without any officers present.
He also claimed a council member admitted to taking a set of police keys.
After accusing members of the town government of breaking into the evidence room, Hunt said he and the department’s only other officer were immediately removed from active duty.
Hunt said the department’s police clerk also resigned, leaving the town with no police staff. He said he informed the mayor and council that he would be seeking whistleblower protection.
The mass firing came less than a week after Barrackville Police Chief Zachary Freeburn resigned. Hunt said the chief quit over what he described as repeated clashes with the town council over how much control it had over the department.
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Former Barrackville Police Chief Zachary Freeburn resigned before the town’s entire police department was fired. Barrackville Police Department / Facebook
Marion County Sheriff Roger Cunningham told the station that deputies will continue responding to calls in Barrackville while the town of 1,288 people is without a police department.
Resident Isabella Pham said she hopes the turmoil comes to an end.
“I just think that the town right now is in a little bit of a mess,” Pham told the West Virginian Times.
“We’ve gone through a lot of different people, and I’m just hoping that at the end of this, we can get a little bit of stability, transparency and security, and get back to having a stronger community versus a town of pitchforks and torches.”
CHARLESTON, W.Va. –Governor Patrick Morrisey has appointed a new member of the state House of Delegates.
Shane Thomas Stack, of Triadelphia, was appointed Tuesday to represent District 4. Stack replaces former Delegate Bill Flanigan who resigned to join the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia following his election to the Division 2 seat.
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“Shane Stack is an outstanding choice to represent the families and communities of the fourth district,” Morrisey said in a release. “With his deep roots in the local community, his background as a business owner, and his proven experience managing municipal finances, Shane understands what it takes to support economic growth and advocate for working West Virginians. He will serve his constituents well in Charleston.”
In Morrisey’s release, it said that Stack has a diverse background in small business ownership, municipal finance, and higher education administration. Stack currently is the owner, licensed auctioneer, and certified appraiser for Frio Stack & Associates, as well as the owner of Island Pawn & Gun.
Stack previously worked as the Town Treasurer for West Liberty.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in General Business from West Liberty University.
