WASHINGTON – A new website created by Republican PAC takes aim at the Democratic state Attorney General candidate.
Doug Reynolds’ campaign spokeswoman, however, says it’s clear to her that Republican AG Patrick Morrisey is behind the attack.
The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) recently launched www.DougEndorsedCrookedHillary.com, which is says is “dedicated to exposing Doug Reynolds ties to the Hillary-Obama agenda as well as his history of shady business practices.”
“Doug Reynolds says he is ‘independent,’ but leaves out his personal donations to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama,” RAGA Executive Director Scott Will said. “Clinton and Obama have made clear they want to put coal miners out of jobs by killing their industry with excessive EPA regulations.
“You can be for the Obama-Clinton agenda or you can be for West Virginia jobs, but you cannot be for both.”
Will went on to compare Reynolds and Clinton even more.
“Even worse, Doug Reynolds’ history of shady business practices is eerily similar to Hillary Clinton’s self-dealing corruption,” he said, adding that the site “will serve as a hub for exposing Doug Reynolds history, and show the people of West Virginia why he is wrong for the office of attorney general.”
Lynette Maselli, spokeswoman for Reynolds’ campaign, said Morrisey’s camp is fearing defeat.
“Patrick Morrisey and his Super PAC are desperate because they know his days as Attorney General are numbered,” Maselli told The West Virginia Record. “Morrisey's fingerprints are all over this, no matter how much he denies it.”
She noted the link between Morrisey and Will.
“What Morrisey's not telling West Virginians is that his former campaign manager, Scott Will, is the executive director of the Republican Attorneys General Association,” she said. “He is also the chairman of the Mountaineers Are Always Free Super PAC, funded by large contributions from the pharmaceutical industry through RAGA.
“You connect the dots. Morrisey refuses to be transparent about his ties to the out-of-state PAC."
Maselli also said West Virginia deserves "a truthful attorney general who looks out for the best interests of all West Virginians."
"The other thing Morrisey is staying quiet about is Doug's recent statement on the current presidential race,” she said. “Doug has gone on record saying that he doesn't believe any of the candidates on the national level have West Virginia's best interests at heart. He knows that Washington politicians won't solve the problems we're facing here at home, and that it's going to take true West Virginians who are committed to our future, not their own political aspirations, to put us on the path to prosperity.
“Patrick Morrisey moved here because he saw West Virginia as an opportunity to start his political career. As a fourth generation Mountaineer, Doug only sees opportunities to improve our future.”