CHARLESTON – New polling released Wednesday shows Gov. Jim Justice continuing to lead in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, a two-man race for the Republican nomination for governor of West Virginia and a lack of voter awareness for other statewide races.

Jackson County radio station WMOV 1360 AM and American Pulse Research and Polling released survey results Wednesday for the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives 2nd District, governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state auditor.

The WMOV/American Pulse poll was conducted Nov. 13-14 with 414 likely Republican primary voters using live telephone interviews, text-to-web responses, and interactive voice response. The poll has a margin of error of 4.8%.

According to the poll, 55.7% of respondents said if the primary were held today, they would vote for Justice for the Senate, with 19.9% saying they would vote for U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney, 1.7% choosing Bryan McKinney of Inwood, .6% choosing Zane Lawhorn of Princeton and 22.1% either not sure or didn’t know.

When asked about their favorable or unfavorable views of the candidates, Justice had a favorable rating of 73% with 22.7% having an unfavorable view of the governor. Mooney’s total favorability number was 49.2% with 21.6 percent having an unfavorable view.

Respondents were asked whether they were more likely or less likely to vote for Justice knowing that several lawsuits have been filed against his family businesses over non-payment of vendors and court judgements. The total percent of those more likely to vote for Justice was 25.6%, while 46.25 said they were either somewhat less likely or much less likely. Another 28.2% said they were unsure.

Justice has consistently led Mooney in every poll released since the beginning of the year. Mooney, who was first elected to Congress representing the 2nd District in 2014, won re-election in 2022 after the 2nd and 1st Congressional districts were combined into the new 2nd District covering the northern half of the state.

If Mooney were to drop out of the Senate Republican primary and seek re-election to the 2nd District, the WMOV/American Pulse polls shows he would be the favorite among the multiple GOP candidates in the race to succeed him in 2024. Mooney leads by 41.1%, with State Treasurer Riley Moore with 11.6%, Nate Cain with 3%, Joe Earley with 1.9%, Alex Gaaserud with 1.6%. However, 40.8% of respondents said they were not sure/don’t know.

In the Republican race to succeed Justice in 2024, the WMOV/American Pulse poll shows Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore Capito leading among the top four GOP candidates. According to the poll, 30.5% said they support Morrisey, Capito had 22.6%, followed by Secretary of State Mac Warner with 13.7%, Huntington businessman Chris Miller with 10.4% and 22.8% saying unsure/don’t know.

The May Republican primary ballot has a number of announced and potential candidates who are either related to each other or are related to other elected officials. Delegate Capito is the son of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who is also the aunt of Treasurer Moore. Chris Miller is the son of U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., who represents the 1st Congressional District. Secretary of State Mac Warner is the brother of Economic Development Authority Director Kris Warner, who is expected to announce for secretary of state.

When respondents were asked whether they were more likely or less likely to vote for a Republican candidate if they have another family member on the ballot or in elected office, the total percent more likely was 15.4%, while the total percent less likely was 48.2%.

Other statewide races are garnering less interest. In the Republican attorney general’s race, 16.1% said they supported State Auditor J.B. McCuskey, while 10.6% said they would support Kanawha County state Senator and former U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart. Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, had 5.4%, but he dropped out of the race Wednesday. Another 67.9% said not sure/don’t know.

In the Republican Secretary of State’s race, EDA Director Warner had 20.2% support, with former Democrat-turned-Republican House Minority Leader Doug Skaff with 7.5%, Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood with 5.8%, Kanawha County Del. Chris Pritt with 4.2%, for Morgan County Commission member Ken Reed with 4.1%, and 58.2% saying not sure/don’t know. In the GOP primary for State Auditor, House Majority Leader Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, has 15.7% support compared to 12.8% support for Delegate Caleb Hanna, R-Nicholas, and 71.5% not sure/don’t know.