MORGANTOWN – Two state Senate colleagues will face off in the Republican primary in May to succeed Attorney General Patrick Morrisey – who is running for governor.
Brooke County Sen. Ryan Weld announced his run in April. Kanawha County Sen. Mike Stuart announced in May. Currently, Stuart is slightly ahead in the polls but behind in fundraising, as shown by their recent campaign finance reports.
Weld was re-elected to the Senate in 2020 and serves as Judiciary vice chair and majority whip. An attorney with Spilman, Thomas & Battle, he told The Dominion Post in April that he does some litigation, estate planning and real estate law. He previously served as an assistant prosecutor in Brooke County and said he loved that job, along with practicing criminal law.
Stuart was elected in 2022 and would be up for re-election to his Senate seat in 2026, but state law allows him to keep his seat while running for attorney general. A Morgantown High School alumnus and attorney with the Dinsmore firm, he served a stint as chair of the state Republican Party and one as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia under President Trump.
No Democrats have announced yet. Official 2024 candidate filing runs from Jan. 10-29.
A West Virginia Chamber of Commerce poll released last week called the GOP race “developing and wide open” so far. The poll has Stuart with a slight lead over Weld, 20% to 14%, with two thirds of those polled still undecided. Chamber President Steve Roberts credited Stuart’s lead to better name recognition tied to his time as U.S. Attorney.
The candidates’ finance figures come from their Second Quarter reports, covering the period April 1-June 30.
Weld opened the period with a balance of $8,694.47 and took in $100,001.78. That included $78,481.58 from individual donors and $22,250 from fundraisers in Weirton and Charleston. His supporters included fellow Sens. Charles Trump, who chairs Judiciary; Mike Maroney, who chairs Health; and Tom Takubo, majority leader.
Weld spent $11,379.58 during the quarter. His year-to-date totals were $112,121.87 raised and $12,200.78 spent. He entered the third quarter with an account balance of $98,316.67.
Stuart opened the quarter with a heftier account balance but raised only about a quarter of Weld’s receipts.
He opened with $51,046.94 and took in $21,067.28 – all from individual donors. No fellow senators pitched in but the campaign of former Marion County Delegate Guy Ward donated $250.
Stuart’s campaign fund includes a $50,000 loan from himself to his campaign made in March.
For the quarter, he spent $2,678.33. His year-to-date totals were $22,528.80 raised and $3,092.91 spent. He entered the third quarter with a balance of $69,435.89.
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