State of West Virginia Archives: on Principles & Values
Earl Ray Tomblin:
Priorities: business climate; education; reinvent government
It is my hope that we can agree on these three priorities as we move forward. - Our top priority must be to continue to improve our business climate to attract, retain, and create good paying private sector jobs.
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We must improve and reform our entire educational system to better prepare our citizens for the jobs of tomorrow.
- We must reinvent, simplify and make government more efficient and responsible to the people and businesses of our state.
Source: 2011 W.V. State of the State Address
Jan 12, 2011
Joe Manchin III:
Duty as governor to work with the president
Both Manchin and Raese called for a federal balanced budget amendment, criticized Pres. Obama for his administration's proposed regulations of the coal energy and advocated repealing most parts of federal health care reform.Raese claims Manchin
would be a "rubber stamp" for the administration. Manchin said it is his duty as the state's governor to work with the president.
The Obama administration's pursuit of a cap-and-trade policy for greenhouse gases has not gone over well in coal country.
Source: State Journal coverage of 2010 W.V. Senate debate
Oct 7, 2010
Joe Manchin III:
My forte is creating jobs; I'll bring spirit of capitalism
Manchin mostly emphasized to voters that, in Washington, he would not be tightly joined with either party.
Raese, the millionaire heir to a powerful company in the state, repeatedly cited his business acumen, promising to "bring the spirit of capitalism to the United States Senate."
"My forte is creating jobs," he said.
Source: Washington Post coverage of 2010 W.V. Senate debate
Oct 18, 2010
Joe Manchin III:
To Raese: Mr. Obama's name will not be on the ballot!
Manchin distanced himself repeatedly from Pres. Obama, while his GOP opponent constantly invoked "Manchin and Obama" as if the two men were running mates.Manchin emphasized his opposition to parts of the president's health care overhaul and said he
would be "independent" from his party in Congress. Asked by one of the debate moderators to name a policy advanced by Democrats he agreed with, Manchin named Social Security, Medicare and the minimum wage--avoiding any of the major bills Obama and
the Democrats have passed over the last two years.
Nonetheless, businessman John Raese, who has surged in the polls by linking Manchin to Obama, assured the audience that the president and governor "are together" on most key issues.
"I hate to inform
my opponent, but Mr. Obama's name will not be on the ballot," Manchin said after Raese had linked him once again to the president.
"The bottom line is President Obama or President Bush, I'm an American, I want my president to succeed," Manchin said.
Source: Washington Post coverage of 2010 W.V. Senate debate
Oct 18, 2010
Joe Manchin III:
We can only fix things by coming together
Manchin repeatedly stressed he is working for West Virginia, and its best interests, as a senator in the nation's capital. "Let me make it very clear the only team I belong to is team America, and team West Virginia.
I'm the most centrist senator in the Senate. I don't vote for the party, I vote for the issues. Always have, and I always will. I think West Virginia we have proved that you can only fix things by coming together," Manchin said.
Source: West Virginia Public Broadcasting on 2012 W.V. Senate debate
Oct 3, 2012
John Buckley:
Smaller state means less separation-of-church issue
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Keep God in the public sphere"?A: Neutral. I'm comfortable with the recognition of God in the public sphere, but
I favor a much smaller public sphere in the first place, so small that it ought not to accomplish much or matter much whether any aspect of religion is recognized in the public sphere.
Source: Email interview on 2014 W.V. Senate race with OnTheIssues
Sep 5, 2014
John Raese:
No rubber stamp for the Obama administration
Both Manchin and Raese called for a federal balanced budget amendment, criticized Pres. Obama for his administration's proposed regulations of the coal energy and advocated repealing most parts of federal health care reform.Raese claims Manchin
would be a "rubber stamp" for the administration. Manchin said it is his duty as the state's governor to work with the president.
The Obama administration's pursuit of a cap-and-trade policy for greenhouse gases has not gone over well in coal country.
Source: State Journal coverage of 2010 W.V. Senate debate
Oct 7, 2010
John Raese:
OpEd: TV ad with hick actors hilites part-time WV residency
Manchin claims that Raese's GOP backers called for "hicky" actors to represent West Virginians in a TV ad. In fact, it was the National Republican Senatorial Committee that posted the casting call, not the Raese campaign. However, Raese never apologized
for the offending text.What perhaps makes the "hicky" insult stick is that Raese seems to many to be only a part-time West Virginian. Raese and his wife, Liz, own a mansion in Palm Beach, Fla. Mrs. Raese and their two daughters spend most of their tim
in Florida. At least one of their daughters attends a private school in Palm Beach.
The Raeses take a $50,000 tax credit on their Palm Beach house that is available only to Fla. permanent residents. It appears they get away with this by having Mrs.
Raese registered as a Fla. resident, while Mr. Raese is registered as W.V. resident.
It is unclear whether Raese pays West Virginia state income tax. The Raeses have thus far refused to make their tax and residency records public.
Source: Daily Athenaeum coverage of 2010 W.V. Senate debate
Oct 18, 2010
Patrick Morrisey:
Prohibit government from violating our God-given rights
The Constitution of the United States was established, in part, to prohibit the federal government from violating our God-given rights. Unfortunately, we have seen a tendency for some in Washington,
DC to seek to expand our federal government every chance they get. Obama's liberal allies choose to disregard the rule of law and move to centralize power rather than protect states' and individuals' rights.
That is why Patrick Morrisey is looking out for you every day, as West Virginia's Attorney General. He has fought to defend the Constitution with the vigilance and courage we
need during these trying times. Morrisey takes seriously his duty to stand up for the US and West Virginia Constitution and the individual liberties these documents protect.
Source: W.V. State Attorney General website PatrickMorrisey.com
Nov 1, 2016
Woody Thrasher:
I've learned a lot from President Donald Trump
The reasons I'm running are simple. We need real leadership to bring jobs and we need to follow President Trump's lead to improve our economy and fight government corruption. I've learned a lot from President Donald Trump. President Trump keeps it
simple--more jobs, higher wages and better roads equal making America great again. It really can be that simple. Just as President Trump has challenged the status quo in Washington, D.C., I want to do the same thing here.
Source: 2020 W.V. Governor campaign website on impeaching Trump
Dec 13, 2019
Jim Justice:
All the goodness in West Virginia is because of God above
My best wisdom of the day would be just this: try as best you can to not want anything for yourself. Literally. This is an honor, beyond all comprehension. For every last one of you, do what our forefathers did, and did so admirably. They served, first
and foremost they served, please don't put self in front of that. Always try to do what your voters and constituents are asking you to do. At the end of the day, we're here to do their work. We're here to do the people's wishes.
Think about the stuff that's going on today in this great state. You know, how did all this goodness happen? I believe with all my soul first and foremost it happened because of God above. I believe that with all in me. There's no way that any of us
could have been smart enough to have written or written all this down and figured all this out. He wants us to work hard, and he wants us to do our job. But I believe he is guiding this incredible state every single step of the way.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the W.V. legislature
Jan 11, 2023
JB McCuskey:
Fighting for West Virginians and their conservative values
J.B. McCuskey is a lifelong West Virginian and an experienced leader with a proven record of fighting for West Virginians and their conservative values.
He is running to bring servant leadership to the governor's office and uphold the Mountain State's motto that, "Mountaineers are always free".
Source: 2024 W.V. Gubernatorial campaign website McCuskeyForWV.com
Jun 22, 2023
Jim Justice:
We fought for our faith, our families, our freedoms
But it's not all about dollars and cents is it? When it really boils right down to it, it's about the soul of this state.
We protected our coal miners, our gun rights and our unborn babies. I could not be more proud. We fought for our faith, did we not? Our families, our freedoms.
Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the W.V. legislature
Jan 10, 2024
Steve Williams:
Mayor of city selected America's Best Community in 2017
Elected Mayor in 2012, Steve inherited a city in sharp decline. Essential services were being cut, first responders faced layoffs, and the city's bond rating was downgraded as it struggled to pay its bills.
As Mayor, Steve took decisive action to overcome these challenges and in 2017 Huntington was selected the $3 million grand prize winner of the America's Best Communities competition from among 350 cities nationwide.
Source: 2024 W.V. Governor campaign website SteveWilliamsWV.com
Jun 14, 2024
Steve Williams:
I want West Virginia to be a model for what's possible
If we can do all this in Huntington, we can do it in the rest of West Virginia. I want to use the lessons I've learned as Mayor, as an investment banker, as city manager, and as a member of the House of Delegates, to build West Virginia into the kind of
state we're all proud to call home. I want West Virginia to be a model for what's possible when people of good will work together. As your Governor, and with your help, I know that West Virginia's best days are still ahead of us.
Source: 2024 W.V. Governor campaign website SteveWilliamsWV.com
Jun 14, 2024
Patrick Morrisey:
We stand for God, life, religious liberty, the 2nd Amendment
One of West Virginia's great strengths is our conservative values. We stand for God, life, religious liberty, the 2nd Amendment, our Constitution, and our freedoms. And we'll always fight for those values. Here in West Virginia, we're going to follow
the equal protection clause of the Constitution. Every person is equal in the eyes of God, and starting now, they will be equal under the law as well. We are not going to provide unlawful special privileges to special classes of people.
Source: 2025 State of the State Address to the W.V. legislature
Feb 12, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026