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CHARLESTON -- In a race that went back and forth as election results came between the primary election last week and county cavasses this week, Sam Brown Petsonk declared himself the winner of the Democratic primary to challenge Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey in the fall.
Petsonk, a public interest and employment law attorney from Fayette County, announced his win Thursday afternoon in front of the East Wing of the State Capitol Building where the Attorney General's offices are located.
"I'm feeling good," Petsonk said. "This was a hotly contested race for good reason. There was a lot at stake for the people of West Virginia."
According to unofficial results compiled by the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office Thursday, Petsonk was in the lead with 86,821 votes, while Del. Isaac Sponaugle, D-Pendleton, had 86,664 votes. Petsonk was only 157 votes ahead.
Petsonk, 35, is a former legislative assistant to the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd. Petsonk, who first filed to run for attorney general nearly 11 months ago, had the fundraising advantage in the race. He brought in $212,329 in mostly small-dollar donations over the course of the primary.
Morrisey, the two-term Attorney General, was unopposed in last week's primary for a third term as the state's top attorney. Morrisey -- who was walking by as Petsonk was speaking to reporters -- stopped to bump elbows with Petsonk and congratulate him on his vote total.
"At this point, it looks like Petsonk is going to be the nominee and I congratulate Sam on his primary election," Morrisey said. "You couldn't find any more different candidates running for attorney general. I'm running on my strong record of accomplishment."
As of Thursday, 54 out of 55 counties had uploaded their declared results to the Secretary of State's Office after county commissions started canvassing the votes Monday and counted absentee ballots that were postmarked by June 9, the day of the primary election. Harrison County had not declared it vote totals as of press time.
"I am up, and we see that I'm up by a margin that really can't be undone by the one remaining county," Petsonk said. "We are confident at this point that I am the victor in the race. That's after a great deal of attention paid to the canvass, and we have a high degree of confidence that the results in this election have been closely observed and they are accurate."
Sponaugle, 41, filed for the attorney general race back in December. Sponaugle was first elected to the House in 2012 and currently serves a deputy minority whip. With just five months in the race, Sponaugle raised $69,485 in year-to-date donations, but had more endorsements from union and labor groups.
Sponaugle, speaking by phone Thursday, said he was unsure if he would demand a recount but was not prepared to concede the election until the declared results from Harrison County was uploaded.
"If (Petsonk) is going to declare victory, that's fine. I'm not conceding," Sponaugle said. "I want to wait until all the votes are tallied. Let's let all the voters decide."
For statewide races, once the final county completes their canvass and submits their declared results, a 48-hour window opens for candidates to request a recount. The person requesting the recount must put up a bond to pay for the expenses of a recount.
Petsonk said he is now turning his attention to defeating Morrisey in November. Both Petsonk and Morrisey agreed to run an issue-oriented campaign and both agreed to debate each other later this year.
"I'm excited for November," Petsonk said. "Our state has lost tens of thousands of jobs over the recent years. We have seen our people struggling. We have important issues involving access to health care and health insurance, education, fair jobs and wages and benefits, retiree health care. That's the work I've done in my law practice and that's the type of work we should see from our attorney general -- advocacy for our people and protecting what our people have earned."
In a preview of what to expect during the general election campaign, Morrisey was quick to promote his support of President Donald Trump and an opponent of the Green New Deal -- a set of legislative proposals to combat climate change -- while calling Petsonk a supporter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign for the Democratic nomination for president.
"I am firmly against the Green New Deal and I believe we have to firmly protect our energy jobs," Morrisey said. "My opponent is a strong supporter of the Green New Deal."
"I have absolutely never endorsed the Green New Deal," Petsonk said to Morrisey after listening to the interview.