Sources close to Senator Joe Manchin, a mainstay of Democratic politics in West Virginia, say he is being encouraged to run for governor.
Two sources confirmed that the outreach comes from Republicans who oppose the GOP nominee for governor, Patrick Morrisey. One source said at least 20 Republicans with financial resources have reached out to Manchin, who was governor from 2005 to 2010.
“Many Republicans who believe Manchin did a good job as governor previously are encouraging him to run again,” one of the sources said.
Joe Manchin
Manchin has made no decision, but also he has not dissuaded the conversations. The frequent swing vote in the U.S. Senate decided he would not run for re-election to that seat and then spent time considering whether he would run on a third-party ticket for governor before deciding against that too.
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The state Republican Party provided a statement indicating full support for Morrisey’s campaign against the Democratic nominee.
“The WVGOP is united squarely behind Patrick Morrisey for Governor. West Virginians are excited to continue our Republican victory streak by electing him as our conservative voice in the Governor’s mansion this November!” stated Matt Herridge, WVGOP chairman.
The only Democratic candidate in last week’s primary election was Huntington Mayor Steve Williams. So at this point, Williams would face Morrisey in the general election.
Fundraising and statewide name recognition will be challenges for Williams between now and the November election. The most recent filings with the West Virginia secretary of state show the Williams campaign with $30,418 cash on hand. Morrisey’s campaign had $685,276 on hand at the conclusion of the most recent filing period.
One scenario being contemplated is to wait a few weeks and take a poll to see how Williams is faring in the race. If Williams is not doing well then it could open an opportunity for Williams to step aside and Manchin to run.
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At this stage, none of this has been discussed with Williams.
Williams, in a telephone interview today, was aware of the talk, but he characterized it as an unlikely scenario.
Steve Williams
“Joe Manchin has not given me any indication that there has been any conversation along those lines. Secondly, he contributed to my campaign in the primary. He is committed to contributing to my campaign in the general, and we have had several conversations since election day” Williams said.
“Unless Joe Manchin is the most duplicitous person on the face of the earth, which I don’t believe he is because he’s been a friend for over 40 years now, I don’t see that these rumors have any legs.”
Asked about the scenario on Friday’s MetroNews’ “Talkline,” state Democratic Party spokesman Mike Plante described the possibility as a longshot.
“If that isn’t bad news for Patrick Morrisey, I don’t know what is — the fact that leading Republicans with deep wallets are looking at these kind of contingency plans,” Plante said.
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Plante continued, “I think this is wishful thinking on the part of some Republicans who are deeply and bitterly opposed to Patrick Morrisey.”
Morrisey, a three-term attorney general, lost to Manchin by three percentage points in the 2018 race for U.S. Senate.
Morrisey was in a competitive four-way race for governor. He won with a plurality, 33% of the vote — coming in ahead of former House Judiciary Chairman Moore Capito’s 28%, Huntington businessman Chris Miller’s 20% and Secretary of State Mac Warner’s 16 percent.
Morrisey’s campaign, reached today, pointed toward a recent social media post by Morrisey that described a sense of unity in the party. The post said he had “good conversations with Moore Capito, Chris Miller, Mac Warner, the Governor, our Board of Public Works Candidates, and many others.”
Patrick Morrisey
“My opponents and the BOPW nominees were quite gracious. It’s now clear we will all pursue our common goal of electing Republicans in November and advancing conservative values,” Morrisey wrote.
Morrisey’s campaign during the primary race frequently said he is “not a product of political royalty” and that “the media and political elites are against me.” Capito is the son of Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Miller is the son of Congresswoman Carol Miller and Warner’s brothers have been active in government and GOP politics.
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Shelley Moore Capito
Asked for her reaction to Morrisey’s win during a briefing last week, Capito spent some time talking about her son’s loss and then described her excitement that incumbent Gov. Jim Justice had won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, where he is heavily favored in the general election.
Capito did not mention Morrisey’s name in her response and said, “I am the leader of the Republican Party and will be supporting the Republican ticket, so let’s just see what happens in November.”
Gov. Jim Justice
Governor Justice had endorsed Moore Capito for governor, saying he could continue the trajectory of the current administration. Asked last week on “Talkline” about Morrisey’s victory, Justice said he would support him.
“Patrick and I are friends. You know, I absolutely wanted Moore to get across the finish line. But Patrick’s the man across the finish line. I’ll support him 100 percent. I think the world of him and Denise. They’re good people, and I just want good stuff for ’em. We move on, you know.”
Dandridge (Tn.) Jefferson County 2025 defensive lineman Nic Moore wanted to get a more up-close look at West Virginia and his official visit to campus accomplished exactly that.
Moore, 6-foot-2, 288-pounds, had been to Morgantown before but this trip was a lot more detailed and informative than those previous stops on many different fronts.
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West Virginia has advanced to the Regional Final for their first time since 2017 after defeating Grand Canyon 5-2 Saturday night. The win moves the Mountaineers to 2-0 in NCAA play and puts Randy Mazey’s squad one win away from a Super Regional appearance.
The first game of the final will be at 9:00 p.m. ET. Should the Mountaineers win, they will claim the regional title and move on to a Super Regional. With a loss, West Virginia will play again on Monday with the time TBD.
The opponent in the finals for West Virginia will not be decided until a couple of hours before their game. Luckily for the Mountaineers, one-seed and regional host, Arizona, is eliminated after an 0-2 outing. This means the Gold and Blue will face a team they have already prepared for and beaten; Dallas Baptist or Grand Canyon.
Randy Mazey did not release a starter for the game Sunday evening. Aidan Major has yet to get a start during the postseason thus far but Mazey did state Major being banged up and needing rest at the end of the regular season. Going into the Big 12 tournament, Major was listed as day-to-day.
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This will be the first Regional Final for the Mountaineers since 2017 when they made it through the losers bracket. This time, they are undefeated and will only need to win one game out of two to advance and extend Randy Mazey’s final season.
Should West Virginia play DBU, the first game won by the Mountaineers was a balanced offensive and defensive attack. Getting a dominant complete game from Derek Clark, West Virginia used a three-run home run from Logan Sauve and an rbi double from Reed Chumley to win the game 4-1.
If Grand Canyon wins to advance, it will be back to back games against the Antelopes for the Mountaineers. With another great pitching performance, this time 7.2 innings from Tyler Switalski, West Virginia survived a bases loaded jam in the ninth to win the game 5-2. Producing eight hits and three separate rbi singles, the offense was able to produce without the home run ball.
Future MLB first round draft pick JJ Wethholt has yet to record a hit in Tucson in the two games played. His offensive production has yet to be needed but will be more than welcomed by Randy Mazey in the finals.
First pitch is set for 9:00 p.m. ET with a trip to a Super Regional on the line. West Virginia needs to win one of the final two games to advance. They will take on the winner of Dallas Baptist and Grand Canyon that starts Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. A TV network has yet to be chosen for the Finals.
Lexington (Ky.) Sayre 2025 athlete Brock Coffman came to a West Virginia one-day camp looking to impress at one position but caught the attention of the coaching staff at another altogether.
Coffman, 6-foot-0, 172-pounds, initially worked out as a wide receiver during the event where he was able to go through drills and flash his abilities in one-on-one competition.
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