CHARLESTON – A new poll by the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce shows tight races in the 2024 Republican primary election for governor and attorney general.
The poll, released July 6, shows the GOP gubernatorial race has current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey with support of 31 percent of those surveyed while current House Judiciary Chairman Moore Capito with 30 percent support.
“This race is tied at this point," Chamber President Steve Roberts said. "Both Attorney General Morrisey and Chairman Capito have strong name recognition in the state, but there is a lot of time remaining before Election Day.
Roberts
"We are obviously paying attention to the campaign finance reports that are due tomorrow, as it appears other candidates also have the resources to change the dynamic of the race.”
In the U.S. Senate race, Gov. Jim Justice has a strong lead (56% to 19%) over Congressman Alex Mooney in the Republican primary. Democratic incumbent Joe Manchin has yet to announce his plans for the 2024 campaign.
“The governor has almost universal name ID in the state and is a well-known quantity," Roberts said. "It’s probably safe to say that anyone who hasn’t heard of him is very unlikely to vote on Election Day.”
The GOP race for attorney general shows two-thirds of those surveyed undecided. State senators Mike Stuart and Ryan Weld have 20% and 14% support, respectively.
“We expect that it is likely that Mike Stuart has better name recognition due to his prior service as a United States attorney, but it is clear that this race is wide open and will be very competitive," Roberts said.
Weld said his campaign expected the AG race to be wide open right now.
“Clearly, this poll shows that the candidate who runs the strongest campaign will win this race," Weld said. “With so many undecided voters and this race so close, it is imperative that I continue to travel the state as much as I already have been to meet as many West Virginians as possible.
“My wife, Alex, and I are ready and eager to put the miles in and show West Virginians that I don’t just talk the talk, but that I am clearly the best candidate to be this state’s next Attorney General.”
The poll surveyed 651 Republican and non-affiliated voters with a 6% margin of error. Robert said it was conducted to help gauge the political landscape in West Virginia.
“Historically West Virginia has had very low voter turnout," he said. "We are hopeful that polls like these start boosting interest in these important elections and encourage more people to learn about the candidates and be involved.”
Roberts said the Chamber plans to continue polling throughout the year to examine the shifting dynamics of these elections.
