Morrisey

CHARLESTON – Patrick Morrisey, a three-term attorney general, took the oath of office Monday to become the 37th governor of the State of West Virginia, followed by a parade, fireworks, concerts and other celebrations.

Morrisey, other elected members of the Board of Public Works, two justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and a new Intermediate Court of Appeals judge all took their oaths of office Monday morning on the northside steps of the Capitol in Charleston.

Referring repeatedly to West Virginia as “that shining state in the mountains,” Morrisey called for residents to come together to make bold changes to move the state forward into the last three-quarters of the 21st century.

“This is our moment to rise, to dream bigger, to achieve more,” Morrisey said. “We’ve seen tough times before, and as a state, we’ve always come out of it stronger. Our story, it’s still being written. And every West Virginian will play a role in shaping the next chapter. So, let’s be bold, let’s be courageous, and let’s move forward together. I promise you this, I’ll never stop fighting for you, for our families and for West Virginia’s future.”

Morrisey, a West Virginia transplant who came to call the state home after a career as a congressional staffer and lobbyist, became the Mountain State’s first Republican attorney general since before the Great Depression in 2013 after defeating the late Democratic Attorney General Darrell McGraw.

Morrisey served three four-year terms as West Virginia’s top attorney, taking on major cases involving federal overreach and securing key victories at the U.S. Supreme Court. Morrisey also focused much of his tenure on opioids, securing more than $1 billion in settlements with prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Last year, Morrisey joined a crowded Republican field to run for governor, winning the May GOP primary and easily defeating his Democratic opponent, former Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, in the November general election. Morrisey said he would work for all West Virginians, whether they voted for him or not.

“My fellow West Virginians, we are in this together,” Morrisey said. “No matter where you’re from – the Eastern Panhandle, the Northern Panhandle, right here in Charleston, the southern coal fields or anywhere across our state – we are all on Team West Virginia.

“Today I’m calling on all of us to put aside our differences and unite for the greater good,” Morrisey continued. “Every person here or every person watching has a role to play in building the future that we and our entire state deserves. Together, we’re going to make West Virginia a beacon of opportunity, of hope and prosperity for all.”

Morrisey succeeds outgoing governor and Senator-Elect Jim Justice, becoming the first newly elected Republican governor since the late Gov. Cecil Underwood took office in 1997 (Justice was first elected in 2017 as a Democrat).

“Today is the dawn of a new era, a symbolic new start for our state,” Morrisey said. “Today we set our sights on something truly great, a future where West Virginia is thriving in that shining state in the mountains. And make no mistake about it, every West Virginian will have an important role to play in building this amazing and prosperous state.”

During his inaugural speech, Morrisey focused on making big changes during his next four years in office, bulldozing governmental barriers holding back the private sector, building out needed infrastructure and leveraging the state’s energy resources. The biggest applause line of the speech was when Morrisey said the state would work hand in hand with incoming President Donald Trump, whom Morrisey supported and who endorsed Morrisey’s race for governor.

“We’re going to leverage those resources like you’ve never seen before, and that means partnering with President Donald J. Trump,” Morrisey said. “If ever there was an honorary West Virginian, it should be Donald Trump.”

Returning to a campaign theme, Morrisey said he would engage in a “Backyard Brawl” to make West Virginia’s tax structure, pay for teachers and regulations competitive with neighboring states. He said this will involve further cuts in personal income tax rates and auditing, consolidating and possibly eliminating wasteful state services and programs.

“This economic revival though, it’s more than just cutting taxes and red tape. It’s about unleashing the full potential of our people and engaging in spirited competition every day,” Morrisey said. “Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky: We’re coming for you economically.”

Turning to the state’s substance use disorder crisis, Morrisey said his administration will work on the underlying issues driving the epidemic of drug use.

“No challenge has been greater or, quite frankly, more personal for me than the fight against the opioid epidemic,” Morrisey said. “As your attorney general, I fought to hold those responsible accountable. We’ve done a lot of good things. We’re making progress, but let’s be clear, this fight is far from over. … It’s a crisis that doesn’t discriminate by age, race, income or zip code. As governor, I’ll continue attacking this plague.”

On education, Morrisey said he will continue to expand options for school choice, such as the Hope Scholarship educational voucher program to ensure that state tax dollars are able to follow the child.

“We’ll expand the Hope Scholarship, putting more control in the hands of parents to choose the best educational path for their children. Families are going to be able to meet their child’s unique needs, assuring every child has the chance to thrive. We will leave no one behind,” he said.

Morrisey also said he will focus on the constitutionally mandated public school system, encouraging the continued efforts toward improvement in reading, writing, phonic and math scores. Public schools will also focus on civics; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; and vocational and job training.

Morrisey also wants to bump up the pay of public school teachers to be competitive with the surrounding region while eliminating administrative hurdles that make it harder for teachers to teach.

“We will make sure West Virginia’s teachers, they’re going to get paid competitively with those in neighboring states,” Morrisey said. “If we want to attract and retain the best educators, we must reward their commitment and their excellence. We’ll cut through the bureaucracy that burdens our classrooms. … They’ll be able to spend more time teaching, and less time tangled in red tape.”

Social issues were on Morrisey’s radar, using his speech to criticize diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which Morrisey has defined as the unequal guaranteeing of outcomes for specific classes of people. Morrisey said he would end any DEI program existing in public schools or any normalization of transgender ideology.

“We will eliminate the woke virus from the schools, and that means starting now, there will be no more DEI. No more radical agendas, no more brainwashing, no more confusion about the differences between boys and girls,” Morrisey said. “Under my administration, West Virginia schools will be for learning, not social experiments.”

Despite the temperatures and leftover snow from last week’s storms, people turned out to watch Monday’s ceremonial transfer of power, including members of the West Virginia Legislature, state employees, lobbyists, business leaders, union officials and others. Former governors Justice, Earl Ray Tomblin and Joe Manchin were in attendance, as was former Congressman David McKinley.

Also taking their ceremonial oaths of office Monday were state Supreme Court Justices Charles Trump and Haley Bunn, Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Ryan White, Secretary of State Kris Warner, Attorney General J.B. McCuskey, State Auditor Mark Hunt, State Treasurer Larry Pack and Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt.

Monday’s inaugural ceremony was followed by a parade down Kanawha Boulevard East in Charleston, from Morris Street to California Avenue on the east side of the Capitol. The Culture Center played host Monday morning to a faith-based breakfast, then was open following the inaugural ceremony for coffee, cocoa and cookies, along with historical exhibits.

A fireworks show was slated for Monday evening at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center after a Celebration of West Virginia concert by The Marshall Tucker Band and Shenandoah.

Also that evening, the West Virginia Wins Inaugural Committee held a $100-per-ticket dinner and blacktie ball at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in honor of Gov. Morrisey and First Lady Denise Morrisey. All funds for Monday’s inaugural were raised privately by the West Virginia Wins Inaugural Committee, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.