Listen to “Morrisey Dives into Senate Race, Reveals Faction Preference” on Spreaker.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey wasted no time wading into a Northern Panhandle state Senate contest — even before the filing period officially closed.
Around 9:30 p.m. Friday, Morrisey posted on X:
“The race between conservative State Senator Laura Chapman and radical lefty Shawn Fluharty will be one of the defining races in the WV state senate this year. We don’t need a Bernie bro in the WV Senate — such a clear difference between these two candidates. Common sense conservatism versus lefty extremism. This race is one of the top contests of the 2026 cycle. Get ready!!”
Here’s the problem: Chapman is NOT unchallenged in the Republican primary. Maybe it slipped the Governor’s memory (sarcasm emphasized).
COMMENTARY from Hoppy Kercheval: 2026 Republican Primary Election may lead to Senate shake-up
Joe Eddy, an engineer and former head of Eagle Manufacturing, is running against incumbent Laura Wakim Chapman in Senate District 1. By framing the contest as Chapman vs. Fluharty, Morrisey effectively pretends the GOP primary doesn’t exist. A fantasy unaligned with reality.
And, that’s not a small oversight. It’s a signal. One that clearly acknowledges the divide in the state Republican party and picks one side over the other by the state’s chief executive.
By ignoring Eddy’s challenge, Morrisey is telegraphing to Republicans that he’s backing the current Senate establishment — often described as the “populist” wing — over the challengers, who tend to be more traditional, business-focused conservatives.
Longtime Republican operative Greg Thomas offered this take when asked to comment on the Governor’s X post:
“Joe Eddy is in a strong position to win the Senate District 1 Republican primary, and he is clearly the best conservative candidate to keep the seat GOP in the general,” Thomas said. “As the former head of a West Virginia-based manufacturing company with over 400 employees, Joe Eddy is a proven job creator. Joe Eddy has served as an advisor to President Donald Trump on manufacturing issues, and he is a strong conservative who will run a Republican-funded, aggressive campaign in both the primary and general elections.”
Eddy — and others like him, many recruited by Sen. Tom Takubo — are likely viewed by Morrisey as potential obstacles to his agenda… an agenda the governor needs to produce fruit for re-election. It’s not because they’re liberals – they are not – but because they place a higher premium on economic issues than on the social battles further to the extreme.
Asked for comment on his post, a Morrisey spokesperson responded:
“Governor Morrisey has worked closely with State Senator Laura Chapman on a variety of health care, economic development and emergency management issues and believes her hard work for her constituents and her conservative record merits reelection, especially over one of the most far-left members of the House of Delegates. Chapman is the frontrunner to win that race, in part because she supports the Governor’s intense focus on economic development and making West Virginia more affordable.”
Thomas said on Talkline last week that populist Republicans have run out of runway on social issues.
“We took care of the social issues. We outlawed abortion in WV with exceptions; we banned transgendered surgeries… we did all of the things you would want to do. Now we have this new group that comes in and it’s like they’re… like they’re jealous they didn’t get to vote on this stuff. So, they come up with these new fringe things and the next thing you know we’re talking about anti-vax.”
Which gets to the real point: Morrisey’s move looks less like a drive-by shot at Fluharty and more like an attempt to make a midterm primary about his own self-preservation — a tactic premised on the belief that the general election won’t be competitive in a deeply red state. A reality that means he needs his brand of Republican in office and not that of another who could weaken him leading up to 2028.
That may or may not be a good move in the long run, but it is a definitive move.
Once a governor jumps into primaries early — instead of staying neutral until nominees are chosen — he invites scrutiny otherwise unmerited or unlikely to emerge.
If Eddy wins the primary, and by what margin, Morrisey risks alienating Republicans in the Panhandle who supported Eddy. And for what? Only to completely ensure they will not vote for him (Morrisey) in a gubernatorial primary?
‘Sorry, Joe, I’m with you now instead of Chapman…’ doesn’t seem to cut it. Could anyone blame Eddy for saying, ‘Thanks, but no thanks Governor?’
So, if it wasn’t clear which faction Governor Morrisey favors, it is now. Time will prove his post – his revelation – a good move or not.