Current:Home > MySteve Williams becomes 1st Democrat to enter West Virginia governor’s race-LoTradeCoin
Steve Williams becomes 1st Democrat to enter West Virginia governor’s race
View Date:2024-12-24 07:55:15
RACINE, W.Va. (AP) — Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said Monday that he plans to run for West Virginia governor, becoming the first — and so far only — Democratic candidate in the field eight months before the primary election.
Williams announced his bid for governor during the United Mine Workers of America 84th Annual Labor Day Celebration in Racine, news outlets reported.
Seven Republicans have filed pre-candidacy papers, and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has announced he’ll seek the governor’s office.
Filing pre-candidacy papers allows campaigns to start fundraising and requires them to file campaign finance reports. A candidate isn’t officially in the race until they file a separate certificate of announcement and pay a $1,500 filing fee. The official filing period is next January.
Republican Gov. Jim Justice is prohibited by law from seeking a third consecutive term.
Ben Salango, a Democrat and Kanawha County commissioner who lost to Justice in the 2020 general election, recently announced that he won’t seek the governor’s office again.
If no other candidates enter the race, it would mark the fewest Democrats running for governor in at least 75 years, although it’s not unprecedented for a gubernatorial candidate to run unopposed. Bill Cole was the lone candidate when he won the Republican primary in 2016 before losing in the general election to Democrat Jim Justice, who then switched to the GOP seven months after taking office.
Williams was first elected in 2012 and is the first three-term mayor in Huntington history.
In 2018, he withdrew his candidacy from a U.S. House race, citing the need to focus full-time on his job as mayor to tackle the Ohio River city’s opioid crisis along with drug-related violence.
Huntington was once ground zero for the addiction epidemic in the state until a quick response program that formed in 2017 drove the overdose rate down. But the COVID-19 pandemic undid much of the progress.
veryGood! (6573)
Related
- Jana Duggar Reveals She's Adjusting to City Life Amid Move Away From Farm
- Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election
- Insurance magnate pleads guilty as government describes $2B scheme
- Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani wins reelection to Arizona US House seat
- Vogue Model Dynus Saxon Charged With Murder After Stabbing Attack
- Massive dust storm reduces visibility, causes vehicle pileup on central California highway
- San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had mild stroke this month, team says
- Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas says he was detained in airport over being ‘disoriented’
- Lala Kent Swears by This Virgo-Approved Accessory and Shares Why Stassi Schroeder Inspires Her Fall Style
- It's about to be Red Cup Day at Starbucks. When is it and how to get the free coffee swag?
Ranking
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- Mississippi governor intent on income tax cut even if states receive less federal money
- Biden, Harris participate in Veterans Day ceremony | The Excerpt
- Judge sets date for 9/11 defendants to enter pleas, deepening battle over court’s independence
- NBC's hospital sitcom 'St. Denis Medical' might heal you with laughter: Review
- Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution
- Glen Powell responds to rumor that he could replace Tom Cruise in 'Mission: Impossible'
- Kim Kardashian Says She's Raising Her and Kanye West's 4 Kids By Herself
Recommendation
-
Biden, Harris participate in Veterans Day ceremony | The Excerpt
-
Artem Chigvintsev Returns to Dancing With the Stars Ballroom Amid Nikki Garcia Divorce
-
Agents search home of ex-lieutenant facing scrutiny as police probe leak of school shooting evidence
-
Artem Chigvintsev Returns to Dancing With the Stars Ballroom Amid Nikki Garcia Divorce
-
'Devastation is absolutely heartbreaking' from Southern California wildfire
-
What do nails have to say about your health? Experts answer your FAQs.
-
US Congress hopes to 'pull back the curtain' on UFOs in latest hearing: How to watch
-
Missouri prosecutor says he won’t charge Nelly after an August drug arrest