After 12 years as West Virginia’s Attorney General, Patrick Morrisey was sworn in Monday morning as the state’s 37th governor.

“Together, we’re going to make West Virginia a beacon of opportunity, of hope and prosperity for all,” Morrisey said. “Our path forward is clear. It’s a path paved with hard work and bold action. Now we have some big challenges and economic obstacles in front of us, but we will overcome them.”

The inauguration also instated new Intermediate and Supreme Court of Appeals judges and five other members of the Board of Public Works, the state’s governing body.

The past three governors attended the inauguration. Those included Joe Manchin, who recently left the U.S. Senate as an Independent, Earl Ray Tomblin, who stopped into Manchin’s governor’s office, and Jim Justice, who will assume Manchin’s U.S. Senate seat as a Republican.

Morrisey is the first governor to be initially sworn in as a Republican since 1997. Justice switched parties his first year in office.

In his inauguration speech, Morrisey laid out plans to cut state taxes, reduce government regulation, support the HOPE school choice scholarship and public school teachers, improve the state’s foster care system and oppose diversity equity and inclusion initiatives.

Morrisey likened his plans for economic growth to a “backyard brawl” —  a hallmark of his campaign, referring to making West Virginia more enticing to new residents and businesses than neighboring states. Today, Morrisey specifically referenced making the state personal income tax lower than surrounding states and public teacher pay competitive.

“It’s about unleashing the full potential of our people and engaging in spirited competition every day, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky,” Morrisey said. “We’re coming for you economically.”

Morrisey also said his administration is “launching West Virginia’s version of DOGE,” referring to President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed extra-governmental Department of Government Efficiency. During Morrisey’s campaign, he pointed to audits of state agencies and departments as key to finding policy solutions; during his transition, Morrisey emphasized continuing to focus on “repurposing and rightsizing” government.

“We’re going to take a bulldozer to the barriers of government that hold you back,” Morrisey said. “We’re going to get big, big things done.”

Before leaving office, Justice signed onto a Jan. 10 letter to Congress from Republican governors in support of the federal DOGE. Morrisey said he also aims to partner with the incoming presidential administration on energy policy and deregulation. 

“If ever there was an honorary West Virginian, it should be Donald Trump,” Morrisey said.

After the state gubernatorial Republican primary last spring, which Morrisey won with a plurality of 33.33% of votes, Trump endorsed Morrisey. Morrisey won the general election with 61.99% of votes; Trump won West Virginia’s electoral college votes with 69.98% of votes. Trump will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.