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Republican gubernatorial candidates hold debate

By Steven Allen Adams 7 min read

DANIELS -- A packed room greeted the top four Republican candidates for governor of West Virginia for the first debate of the primary season in the heart of southern West Virginia.

The Raleigh County Republican Executive Committee sponsored a debate Tuesday evening at The Resort at Glade Springs. The event, open to paying attendees, was moderated by WV MetroNews Talkline host Hoppy Kercheval.

Participants included Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, former House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore Capito, Secretary of State Mac Warner and Huntington businessman Chris Miller. The four are the top candidates in polling going back into last year and in political contributions.

While all four candidates have appeared on stage together in several forums, Tuesday's event was the first real debate, giving them an opportunity to differentiate themselves from their opponents, take jabs at one another and lay out policy goals that can appeal to Republican and unaffiliated primary voters.

Kercheval asked the candidates what made each of them the most conservative person on the stage that night.

"This isn't about who is most conservative; this is about serving the people of West Virginia as their next governor, and it spins on experience," said Warner, a two-term secretary of state and retired career U.S. Army officer. "My name is Mac Warner. I'm a military veteran and I will be the next governor of West Virginia, and I'm not for sale."

"Well, I'm not shy of being a conservative, I'll tell you that," said Morrisey, in his third term as attorney general. "I think West Virginia needs a proven conservative with a record of getting big things done."

"This is a very important interview, and what you want to hear tonight are how each one of these candidates want to attack the very issues that are most important to you," said Capito, an attorney and former member of the House of Delegates from Kanawha County. "I can tell you I am the get-it-done conservative in this race because I have delivered."

"I walk the walk because there's nothing more conservative than being available in the free market to provide employment and jobs and to run an economy," said Miller, the owner of multiple businesses including the Dutch Miller chain of vehicle dealerships. "That's called walking the walk. That's not called talking the talk. That's what business guys do. We take action."

Talk quickly turned to Capito and Miller's family political legacies. Capito is the grandson of the late former Republican Gov. Arch Moore and the son of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. Miller is the son of U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R.W.Va. Warner himself comes from a family active in state politics.

"I wasn't handed anything; I had to work hard," Morrisey said. "I'm the first person who ever made it through to college and made it to law school. I know what it's like to have a work ethic and not have things handed to me."

"When I was 10-and-a-half years old, I told my dad I wanted a pair of Air Jordan tennis shoes," Miller said. "When he found out they cost $125, you know what he told me? He told me to get a job, and I've been working ever since then."

The tables were quickly turned on Morrisey when he was asked to defend his handling of the nearly $1 billion settlement with major opioid manufacturers and distributors on behalf of cities and counties. Outside counsel for the Attorney General's Office stand to earn more than $41 million from the $92 million-plus awarded to the office for attorney fees. Capito also brought up Morrisey's past lobbying work.

"I don't know why Patrick wants to come after Mac and Chris and myself about our names. Quite frankly, he is probably the biggest name in the drug pharmaceutical lobbying D.C. sphere that exists," Capito said.

"We had a chance to settle something for a once-in-a-lifetime settlement with the very people that he used to work for," Capito continued. "But instead of maximizing our return, we left maybe a billion dollars on the table because Patrick made a sweetheart deal with the very people that he used to represent. And that's the part of the story that's not being told."

"Here's what happened in the opioid settlement. West Virginia is No. 1 per capita in the country (for settlement amount), and it's not even close. You know, No. 2 is New Mexico," Morrisey said. "When I was negotiating these ... I stuck to doing what was right. I didn't listen to the political elites. Quite frankly, Moore, I didn't listen to your mom, who recommended that I settle on the cheap for the national settlements."

"You don't talk about somebody's mama in West Virginia," Miller responded. "You know who's really, really bad at negotiating? Politicians and bureaucrats are really, really bad at negotiating. You know who's really, really good at negotiating? Business guys, people that make their living taking risks and providing employment."

Questions included whether the candidates supported drug testing for welfare recipients. Miller, whose second TV ad focuses on the need for drug testing, said yes. Warner said it could raise constitutional concerns but supported ensuring that state benefits were not being used to support drug use. Capito agreed with Warner's position, while Morrisey said it would depend on how the law would be crafted.

Asked how they would help economically challenged parts of the state, such as Southern West Virginia, all the candidates said they support elimination of the personal income tax to put more money in the pockets of taxpayers. Warner, Capito and Morrisey favor a phase-out approach while Miller supports an immediate elimination.

Warner wants to focus on improving educational outcomes in public schools and expanding access to vocational and technical programs. Morrisey wants to study surrounding states to see where West Virginia is falling behind in regulations, economic development, education and pay, then work to exceed what surrounding states can offer. Morrisey said he would also expand access to school choice options, such as the Hope Scholarship voucher program.

Capito would focus on completing long-hoped-for infrastructure projects in Southern West Virginia that can open up access and investment. These projects include major road construction and broadband internet access. Capito would also work on eliminating regulatory red tape so new projects can begin.

All four candidates said they support continued road, highway, and bridge maintenance, but agree that the state has to be smarter in how it allocated resources.

They also said they are pro-life and anti-abortion, but all said the bill passed by the Legislature last year banning abortion except for very limited circumstances was working and did not need limited further. They would not support an effort to put the question on abortion to voters in November or laws to criminalize women leaving the state for abortion procedures.

When it comes to COVID-19 vaccines and mandates, all said they support allowing individuals to make choices regarding the vaccine, though Miller claimed the vaccine was dangerous, calling the pandemic the "scam-demic." Only Warner admitted to taking a COVID-19 vaccine, Capito didn't answer whether he had, and Morrisey said he did not take the shot.

All four candidates said they would support a return to the death penalty in certain circumstances if the Legislature passed bills to do so. Warner, Capito and Morrisey said they could support another public employee/teacher pay raise during their first year in office if funding is available. Miller said additional funding for teacher raises should come from cutting bloated bureaucracy in county school systems and the state Department of Education.

Steven Allen Adams can be reached at sadams@newsandsentinel.com.

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