West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, says he is considering running for governor in 2016. Morrisey is among several possible candidates for governor named by state Republicans earlier this year.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s attorney general says he may run for governor in 2016.
“We’re going to keep all of our options open and take a close look at all of the possibilities over the next six months,” said Patrick Morrisey, a Republican who was elected attorney general in 2012 and whose term expires in 2016.
Morrisey is among several possible gubernatorial candidates recently identified by the state Republican party.
Morrisey said while a run for governor is possible, “I’ve tried to focus on being the best possible attorney general I could be.”
Morrisey pointed to lawsuits against the EPA and President Barack Obama’s administration concerning carbon emissions and immigration, both of which Morrisey says represent overreach of federal government. The Attorney General’s office also has prosecuted numerous cases on behalf of West Virginia consumers, including a recent settlement with a Charleston business concerning price gouging during Kanawha County’s water crisis earlier this year.
“We’ve tried to have a transformational effect on the AG’s office so our citizens can be better protected,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., already has announced a possible run for governor in 2016. Manchin was governor from 2005-10 and secretary of state from 2001-05.
Morrisey said Manchin’s decision to run or not to run will have no bearing on his decision.
“I have respect for Sen. Manchin, but no one person is going to dictate what happens in the future,” Morrisey said.
In a recent interview, Conrad Lucas, chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party, named Morrisey among possible Republican candidates for governor. Lucas also pointed to U.S. Rep. David McKinley, R-W.Va., and state Sen. Bill Cole, R-Mercer, who will become Senate president and lieutenant governor in January, as possibilities.
“We see those three gentlemen as potentials on our side,” Lucas said.
Morrisey said, regardless of his decision, he believes the Republicans have a good chance of winning the governor’s office when Democrat Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin ends his second and final term in 2016. Governors are term-limited to two consecutive terms in West Virginia.
“It is my sense the Republicans will put up a strong nominee who will have a good chance of becoming the next governor,” Morrisey said. “I want to make sure we put forward the best Republican nominee.”
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