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CHARLESTON -- After winning their party's nominations Tuesday night, Republican Gov. Jim Justice and Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango have turned their sights on November.
According to the most recent unofficial election results from the West Virginia Secretary of State, Justice won the Republican primary for governor with 130,878 votes, leading his nearest competitor -- former Commerce Department secretary Woody Thrasher -- by 63 percent. Salango's win was narrower with 72,311 votes, giving him a 38.86 percent lead over Charleston-based community organizer Stephen Smith, who received 33.35 percent.
Justice, speaking Tuesday night to a handful of reporters at the Governor's Mansion, said his landslide was a sign voters trust him to keep leading the state for a second term.
"The voters know me," Justice said. "They know my family. They knew when I came, I never wanted anything for me. All I've wanted is goodness for West Virginia."
Justice, who won the governor's race in 2016 as a Democrat, but switched to Republican in 2017, has been criticized for not directly engaging with other Republican candidates, including Thrasher and former Berkeley County Delegate Mike Folk, and for using his daily coronavirus briefings for free media exposure.
Justice said the campaign's internal polling showed him winning and he didn't want to be in the position of criticizing other Republicans, but he would be willing to debate Salango.
"Absolutely," Justice said. "The business at hand with this pandemic was a whole lot more important than a (Republican) debate. I knew we were going to win by a landslide. Why really damage the Republican Party and damage somebody for a bunch of sound bites?"
Justice expressed his thanks to Republican and unaffiliated voters for casting their ballots for him
"At the end of the day, it gives me the honor beyond belief to be able to lead us and move us forward," Justice said. "At the same time, I just want more and more and more goodness for us. When it boils right down to it, we should have the goodness because we're West Virginians. We're the absolute best of the best."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, congratulated Justice on his win. Noam Lee, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, pointed out Justice's votes of no confidence by a handful of county Republican groups as a sign of the governor's weaknesses going into November.
"Gov. Justice transformed West Virginia from having one of the slowest economic growth rates to one of the fastest in the nation," Abbott said. "Gov. Justice has shown incredible leadership throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and his proactive, data-driven approach has put the Mountain State in a strong position to rebound. Gov. Justice has earned four more years to continue making West Virginia even better for working families, and the RGA is proud to support him."
Not so, according to Lee.
"West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has failed the Mountain State ever since he took office," Lee said. "Justice has had four failed years in office – he doesn't deserve four more. It's time to send Big Jim packing."
Salango, addressing supporters late Tuesday night at his campaign headquarters in Charleston, credited his win to the hard work of his supporters who worked phone banks, put out signs and met with voters, including virtually due to the coronavirus. Salango said the hard work was just beginning.
"We've got work to do," Salango said. "This is just the beginning. This is the first step. (Wednesday) morning we start working on the general election."
Salango said the state needs a full-time governor, criticizing Justice's frequent absences from the state capitol for the last three years, including during the legislative sessions. Salango said he was ready to bring fresh ideas and perspective to the governor's office.
"Whether it's the Eastern Panhandle, the Northern Panhandle, Southern West Virginia, North Central West Virginia, I hear one thing: West Virginia needs new leadership," Salango said. "I'll be a governor who gets things done, that shows up and puts public service ahead of self-service. We have plans to help everyday West Virginians."
Thanking the voters, his supporters and his family, Salango said he has the experience to help move West Virginia forward.
"I've spent my entire career fighting for the little guy as a lawyer, as a small business owner, and as a Kanawha County Commissioner," Salango said. "As a commissioner, we've done things they said couldn't be done...we stepped up and have done so much and accomplished so much here in Kanawha. We can do it all over the State of West Virginia."
Smith, who helped build the WV Can't Wait movement of like-minded progressive candidates, conceded the election to Salango. Even with his loss, Smith expressed pride in his fellow candidates in the movement.
"We have always known that one governor wasn't the answer to our problems, and that the change we seek can't be achieved in one election cycle," Smith said. "Our goal was always to get nearer to the promised land, to wield more power than we had before."
The WV Can't Wait movement has dozens of candidates who are advancing, Smith said.
"It gives me peace of mind to know that those candidates will need us now to carry them over the finish line," he said. "Ahead of us is more good work to do, battles harder than any we have experienced thus far."