CHARLESTON – A new poll shows Gov. Jim Justice and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey with comfortable leads in their respective races for U.S. Senate and governor.
Justice, a Republican, leads Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, a Democrat, in the Senate race by a 62-28 margin, according to the poll commissioned by MetroNews and conducted by Research America.
Morrisey, also a Republican, leads Huntington Mayor Steve Williams, a Democrat, in the gubernatorial race by a 49-35 margin.
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The poll also showed former President Donald Trump with a 61-34 advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris. Also, 60 percent of those surveyed have a favorable view of Trump while 37 percent view him unfavorably. Harris’ figures were 35 and 61, respectively.
The poll also shows Justice’s approval rating at a record high of 65 percent. Overall, it showed Justice had a 57 percent favorability rating, while 32 percent had an unfavorable opinion of the two-term governor.
“West Virginians overwhelmingly support Governor Jim Justice for U.S. Senate,” campaign spokesman Roman Stauffer said in a press release. “He has a strong record of big accomplishments from the largest tax cut in state history, economic development and creating thousands of jobs across the state, record budget surpluses, a pro-life champion and defender of our Second Amendment.”
Stauffer says Justice is Trump’s only statewide America First-endorsed candidate in the Mountain State.
“Make no mistake about it, West Virginians, every Democrat you see on the ballot this election cycle is cheering for President Donald Trump's defeat and Kamala Harris's election,” Stauffer said. “Wide open borders, sky-high inflation, and an economy that has squeezed families across West Virginia are the results of the Biden Harris agenda that Governor Justice's opponent supports.
“The Trump Justice team is a powerful winning force in West Virginia. They are the most popular elected officials in West Virginia, and Governor Justice is proud to have his friend, President Trump's, endorsement, and support. West Virginians can have strong confidence in our future leadership with President Trump in the White House and Governor Jim Justice in the U.S. Senate.”
Morrisey’s campaign also praised the results.
“Patrick Morrisey has a huge lead even after having millions of dollars in negative advertising spent against him in the primary,” Jai Chabria, senior strategist for Morrisey’s campaign, said in a press release. “He is poised to win the election with an overwhelming result, and as the next governor, he will be able to fight the Washington, D.C., establishment to protect and create West Virginians’ jobs, increase the state’s educational attainment, make the West Virginia business community more competitive with our neighboring states and make lives better for all West Virginians.”
The poll found that 41 percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of Morrisey, while 35 percent had an unfavorable view of the three-term AG.
Elliott and Wiliams both were seen as favorable by about one-fourth of those surveyed, but 57 percent of those polled said they are not sure about either of them.
The MetroNews West Virginia Poll, presented by The Health Plan, included 400 completed interviews among registered voters likely to vote in the coming general election. The polling took place August 21-27. All 55 counties are included in the sample. The confidence level is +/- 4.9 percentage points. The results were presented August 30 at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s annual business summit.