State Auditor McCuskey drops out of governor’s race, jumps into attorney general race
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CHARLESTON -- The race for the Republican nomination for governor of West Virginia is losing a candidate with State Auditor J.B. McCuskey jumping into the attorney general's race with Senate Judiciary Committee Vice Chairman Ryan Weld and former U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart.
McCuskey officially announced Monday morning that he was withdrawing from the 2024 Republican primary for governor. Instead of seeking a third term as State Auditor, McCuskey said he will run to succeed current Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.
"I am a strong, principled conservative who will never stop fighting for West Virginian's freedom and prosperity," McCuskey said in a statement Monday morning. "West Virginia needs a strong conservative fighting for them against the nonsense that is coming out of Washington, D.C., that is negatively affecting our state. Our administration will fight tirelessly against bad policies, just as we have as your State Auditor, and we will continue the work Patrick Morrisey has accomplished in during his tenure."
McCuskey, the son of retired state Supreme Court Justice John F. McCuskey, is a former two-term member of the House of Delegates representing the 35th District in Kanawha County. He first ran for State Auditor in 2016 and reelection in 2020.
He graduated from George Washington University with a Political Communication degree, and from the West Virginia University College of Law. While in the House, McCuskey worked as an attorney for the Steptoe and Johnson law firm in Charleston. Prior to obtaining his law degree, McCuskey worked for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army in the general counsel's offices within the Pentagon.
McCuskey is leaving a crowded GOP primary race for governor to succeed Gov. Jim Justice who is limited to two terms. That field includes Morrisey, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore Capito, Secretary of State Mac Warner, and Huntington car dealership owner Chris Miller. The race also includes Terri Bradshaw, Edwin Vanover, and Rashida Yost.
First joining the race for governor at the end of February, McCuskey has remained in the low single digits in the last several polls. McCuskey was came in fourth in fundraising for the governor's race, with only $412,083 in cash-on-hand. However, that gives him significantly more money than the other two Republicans in the attorney general's race.
McCuskey will face Weld, a two-term state senator representing Hancock, Brooke and Ohio counties and part of Marshall County. Weld is the Senate Majority Whip as well as the vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
A native of Weirton and Wellsburg, Weld is a graduate of Fairmont State University and earned his law degree from Duquesne University. His legal career includes serving as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Brooke County. Weld works for the Spilman Thomas and Battle law firm in Wheeling and serves as city attorney for Wellsburg.
"I have never shied away from competition or confrontation, and I welcome anyone to this race - because I'm confident that I am the most qualified candidate to be West Virginia's next attorney general," Weld said in a statement Monday.
Both Weld and McCuskey are close friends, adding an additional dynamic to the race. The two worked closely together on legislation to clean up dilapidated properties and reform the tax sale process. McCuskey also publicly praised Weld's attorney general announcement in April, congratulating him and wishing him luck.
"It's clear that J.B. McCuskey is scrambling," Weld said. "After his bid to become governor failed to gain any traction whatsoever, he has abandoned that campaign and jumped into yet another statewide race. It is obvious that McCuskey is doing all he can to remain relevant until he can run for governor again in eight years. The office of attorney general is far too critical for it to be used as a stepping stone for someone's fledgling political aspirations."
The other announced Republican in the race - state Sen. Mike Stuart of Kanawha County - dismissed both McCuskey and Weld as "moderates" on social media. He continued this criticism in a statement released Monday afternoon.
"The entry of another moderate in the campaign to be Attorney General is 'no big deal.' I was already running against one moderate. Now I'm simply running against two moderates," Stuart said. "Politics isn't a sporting event and it shouldn't be a family business."
Stuart, an attorney with Dinsmore and Shohl, was elected in 2022 to the newly redistricted seventh senatorial district, representing Lincoln, Boone, Logan counties and southern Kanawha County. Previously, Stuart served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from 2018 to 2021. He was appointed by former president Donald Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.