dbeard@dominionpost.com
MORGANTOWN – West Virginia will have a brief span in January with four different governors.
Gov. Jim Justice is expected to be sworn into his U.S. Senate seat – succeeding Sen. Joe Manchin – on Jan. 3. That’s the date the new 119th Congress will assemble, though Justice hasn’t yet indicated what day he will be sworn in.
When the 119th Congress begins, state Senate President Craig Blair will become acting governor. But Blair was defeated in the May primary and the successor to his district – Republican Tom Willis – will take office Jan. 8.
Three Senate leaders are in contention to succeed Blair as president: Energy chair Randy Smith, R-Tucker; Finance chair Eric Tarr, R-Putnam; and Majority Leader Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha. The GOP caucus is set to meet and vote on a new president on Dec. 8.
Whoever prevails will take over as president and acting governor on Jan. 8.
Then, on Jan. 13, Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey (currently attorney general) will take office. (We credit Delegate Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, for noting this sequence on a social media post.)
We asked Justice, Morrisey and Blair about how the transition will go during the brief span with two acting governors.
Blair’s office noted that Justice hasn’t committed to a swearing-in date for his new job. “President Blair has said he’s prepared for whatever possibility may come in that window where he may be acting as governor.”
Justice’s office and Morrisey’s transition team did not respond to requests for comment.
The last time West Virginia had an acting governor was Nov. 15, 2010, when then-Gov. Manchin was sworn in to his U.S. Senate seat and Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin became acting governor.
Tomblin solidified his position and smoothed the way for his future election to the governor’s office by holding a grand investiture ceremony on Nov. 16, 2010, and served as acting governor for a full year.
He won a special election in October 2011 and was officially sworn in as governor on Nov. 13, 2011. He then won election to a full term in 2012 and served through Jan. 16, 2017, when Justice began his first term as governor.
