Delegate files for AG race
Sponaugle locked in high-profile legal battle with governor
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CHARLESTON -- Isaac Sponaugle, a lawyer from Pendleton County and a member of the House of Delegates, announced his intentions Monday to become the state's top attorney.
In a room full of family, supporters and fellow lawmakers, Sponaugle said he would challenge Republican Patrick Morrisey for the Attorney General's Office. Sponaugle is the second Democrat to announce, with Beckley attorney Samuel Petsonk filing precandidacy papers in June.
"First things first, I'm going to announce that I am not running for the House of Delegates next year," Sponaugle said. "Second thing, while everybody is here, I'm going to be filing here in just a second my precandidacy papers to run for attorney general for the state of West Virginia."
Sponaugle is a native of Pendleton County, graduating from Franklin High School in 1997.
He attended West Virginia University, first earning a bachelor's degree in 2001 and his law degree in 2004, returning home to become a managing partner in the Sponaugle and Sponaugle law firm. He was first elected to the House in 2012 and currently serves as deputy minority whip.
"In making that decision, I went back and I looked just a little bit about what the Constitution says about our attorney general and the duties and obligations that you were supposed to be doing as the attorney general of the state of West Virginia," Sponaugle said. "At the end of the day, you are a servant to the people of the State of West Virginia. I've tried to do that throughout my legislative career, fighting for and advocating for the working people."
Sponaugle was quick to take aim at Morrisey, who defeated former Democratic attorney general Darrell McGraw in 2012. Morrisey was challenged by another House member, former Cabell County delegate Doug Reynolds, in 2016. Morrisey most recently ran and lost an election for U.S. Senate against U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., in 2018.
Sponaugle was particularly critical of Morrisey joining 17 state attorneys general in a federal lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act. A federal court in Texas ruled last year that the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate penalty was unconstitutional and is now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. If the High Court concurs, as many as 37 percent of West Virginians under 65 with pre-existing conditions could lose coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
"He does not represent the people of the state of West Virginia," Sponaugle said. "He's got a current lawsuit pending right now to take away protections for pre-existing conditions for all the citizens. He's more concerned about making sure millions and millions and millions of dollars are put in the pocket of the health insurance industry rather than the people of the state of West Virginia."
The opioid epidemic was also another issue Sponaugle brought up against Morrisey. He accused Morrisey of settling lawsuits against opioid distributers in the low millions while other states were winning multi-million dollar settlements. Morrisey has also received campaign donations from pharmaceutical companies and lobbying groups, while his wife, Denise, works for a lobbying group that also represents pharmaceutical companies.
"He and his wife have made a small fortune off the misery of the state of West Virginia," Sponaugle said. "As attorney general, you've got to enforce the law. You've got to go after the people that are costing the state billions of dollars annually."
(Adams can be contacted at sadams@newsandsentinel.com)