RUNNING — Del. Moore Capito, pictured with his mother, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, announced a run for governor of West Virginia on WV MetroNews Talkline Tuesday. -- Photo Courtesy/WV Legislative Photography

CHARLESTON — The 2024 race to be West Virginia’s next governor is slowly getting more crowded with the son of a U.S. senator announcing Monday, and Secretary of State Mac Warner and State Auditor J.B. McCuskey hinting at runs to supporters.  

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, announced his run for governor Tuesday morning on WV MetroNews Talkline with host Hoppy Kercheval.  

“This is personal for me,” Capito said. “We have an election coming up in 2024 where we will pass the torch to a new generation. We’re going to need someone who has the experience and the grit to take us to the next level.  

Capito is in his third two-year term in the House of Delegates and finishing up his first two years as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, where he previously served as vice chairman. Capito is an attorney with the Babst Calland law firm.  

If Moore Capito’s name seems familiar, his mother is U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and his grandfather is the late three-term Republican governor Arch Moore. His cousin, State Treasurer Riley Moore, announced his run for the Republican nomination for the 2nd Congressional District last week.  

“I grew up in a household where I was told that public service is important,” Moore Capito said. “I’ve always said if I have the opportunity to serve and I can make an impact in the State of West Virginia, I would absolutely do that. I love my mom. She is incredible, and she has delivered for the people of the State of West Virginia for the last two decades. If I have learned anything from her, it’s that you are not given anything; you earn it. That’s what we’ve done in our past elections, and we’ve shown that in our re-election to the House of Delegates.”  

Capito is also no stranger to Republican politics, having worked for the Office of the Majority Whip in the U.S. House of Representatives and later as part of former President George W. Bush’s advance team and for the secretary of defense at the Pentagon.  

In the Legislature, Capito also serves on the House’s Banking and Insurance Committee, the Technology and Infrastructure Committee and the Joint Committee on Natural Gas Development. He chairs the Legislature’s bipartisan Tech Caucus, as well as serving on several interim committees. Capito is a member of the advisory committee for the new Intermediate Court of Appeals and co-chairs the WV Law Institute Committee.  

Also Tuesday, Secretary of State Mac Warner sent an email to supporters expressing his interest in running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2024.  

“Since the mid-term election, I have spoken with people across the state, and received very positive reactions to the accomplishments we’ve made in the secretary of state’s office,” Warner wrote. “People want a leader who will continue the serious work which needs to be done to improve education, promote West Virginia energy production, build out infrastructure and enhance our economy. This is why I am giving every consideration to running for governor in 2024.”  

Warner is nearly halfway through his second four-year term as Secretary of State, serving as the state’s chief elections officer and the state registrar of businesses. Warner was first elected in 2016 after defeating former Democratic Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, fending Tennant off again in 2020 by an even larger margin.  

Prior to being secretary of state, Warner served 23 years as a U.S. Army officer. Upon retirement, he worked for five years as a contractor with the U.S. State Department in Afghanistan, helping to build the country’s legal system.   

“Leaders emerge from battle, from being on the ground where the action is. Leaders arise out of experience; people follow those they trust, who lead from the front,” Warner wrote. “I am a battle-tested constitutional conservative who has served on the ground, from military deployments on four continents to some of America’s most challenging fronts — elections and election integrity. Just as I took on this challenge and brought our state recognition as best in the country, I am ready to confront West Virginia’s challenges head on.”  

Warner comes from a family with extensive military and public service experience. His late brother George “Buffy” Warner was a state senator from Monongalia County. His brother Monty Warner, also a retired Army officer, was the Republican nominee for governor in 2004. Brother Kris Warner is a former chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party and serves as executive director of the West Virginia Economic Development Authority. Warner’s wife, Debbie Warner, just won election to the House of Delegates from Monongalia County.  

State Auditor J.B. McCuskey also announced Tuesday morning in a text message that he was giving a race for governor serious thought.  

“I’m strongly considering running for governor,” McCuskey said. “We need a strong, proven conservative who will lead WV into the future. I’m talking to God, my family, and my many supporters and will make a decision when the time is right.”  

McCuskey has been elected to two four-year terms as state auditor, first in 2016, and represented Kanawha County in the House of Delegates. His father, John McCuskey, is a former justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. McCuskey had more votes than any other statewide candidate in 2016, according to the Secretary of State’s Office and received more votes than any other Board of Public Works candidate in 2020 except for Gov. Jim Justice.  

McCuskey has worked to modernize the auditing process for city and county governments, make state and local government expenses more transparent and bring about prosecutions of government officials for misuse of tax dollars.  

The Republican and Democratic nominees for governor in 2024 will vie to succeed Democrat-turned-Republican Gov. Jim Justice, who is limited to two consecutive terms. According to the Secretary of State’s Office, there are five people listed as precandidates for governor in 2024, including four Republicans: Terri D. Bradshaw, Alexander Gaaserud, Chris Miller (son of Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va.), and Rashida Yost. Former Republican House of Delegates member S. Marshall Wilson is also running as a third-party candidate for governor.