The 2024 West Virginia gubernatorial election will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Justice is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office. Primary elections will take place on May 14, 2024.
Background
A conservative rural southern state, West Virginia is considered extremely Republican at the federal and state levels; Republicans hold all statewide executive offices and supermajorities in both state legislative houses, and since 2015 Senator Joe Manchin has been the state’s only congressional Democrat. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump carried West Virginia by 38.93 percentage points.
Incumbent Governor Jim Justice was first elected in 2016 as a Democrat, defeating Bill Cole by 6.8 percentage points. Justice was re-elected in 2020 as a Republican, defeating Ben Salango by 33.3 percentage points.
With Jim Justice term-limited and unable to run for a third consecutive term as Governor, the Republican primary is expected to be competitive and crowded. Most analysts consider Republicans to be a heavy favorite, given the state's partisan lean and the margins from the previous election.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
Terri Bradshaw, farmer
Moore Capito, state delegate (2016–present), grandson of former governor Arch Moore, and son of U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito Chris Miller, automobile dealer and son of U.S. Representative Carol Miller Patrick Morrisey, West Virginia Attorney General (2013–present) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 Mac Warner, West Virginia Secretary of State (2017–present) Rashida Yost, preschool owner
Withdrew
J.B. McCuskey, West Virginia State Auditor (2017–present) (running for attorney general)
Declined
Kent Leonhardt, West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture (2017–present) (running for re-election) Riley Moore, West Virginia State Treasurer (2021–present) and grandson of former governor Arch Moore ''(running for U.S. House)
Endorsements
Polling
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
Steve Williams, mayor of Huntington (2013–present) and former state delegate (1986–1994)
Declined
Joe Manchin, U.S. Senator (2010–present) and former governor (2005–2010) Ben Salango, Kanawha County commissioner and nominee for governor in 2020
Other candidates
Constitution Party
Declared
S. Marshall Wilson, former Republican state delegate (2017–2021) and write-in candidate for governor in 2020