CHARLESTON — The money race for the 2024 Republican primary for governor of West Virginia is coming down to the state’s top attorney, the son of a congresswoman, and the son of the state’s lone Republican U.S. Senator, while the Republican race for Attorney General is showing a former U.S. Attorney with a monetary disadvantage.

Friday marked the deadline to file 2023 second quarter campaign finance reports covering the months of April, May, and June with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office. All candidates, precandidates, and elected officials are required to file quarterly campaign finance reports.

The 2024 Republican primary to succeed two-term Gov. Jim Justice is crowded, with eight candidates raising money. Three-term Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, led the way in quarterly donations.

Morrisey’s political contributions for the quarter (and also election year-to-date) were more than $1.3 million. Of that, $200,000 came from Morrisey’s 2020 Attorney General campaign account. Morrisey also loaned his campaign $60,000. Morrisey launched his campaign for governor in April.

“West Virginians know that I am the only proven conservative with a record of getting big things done for our state,” Morrisey said in a statement last week. “While I’m pleased with our campaign’s strong fundraising numbers, the most important point is that I have consistently delivered for the people of West Virginia, and I will continue to do so as governor.”

Of the $1.3 million in donations, 10% came from small-dollar donations of $250 or less per individual. Another 10%, totaling $145,437, came from a series of political fundraisers. Morrisey’s campaign spent $294,386 for the quarter, leaving the campaign with nearly $1.1 million in cash-on-hand.

The vast majority of Morrisey’s donations — 78% — came from out-of-state.

Morrisey also received funding from two major conservative mega-donors. Robert Mercer, a hedge fund billionaire and major financial supporter of former president Donald Trump, donated $2,605 to Morrisey for the primary. Harlan Crow, a Texas-based billionaire who made headlines recently for undisclosed gifts to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for trips and real estate, donated $2,800.

While Morrisey raised considerably more money during the quarter, Capito has nearly as much cash-on-hand heading into the third quarter. Capito raised $288,329 during the second quarter, bringing him to nearly $1.1 million raised year-to-date.

Capito campaign spent $123,986 year-to-date, leaving them with $948,116 in cash-on-hand.

Notable donations to Capito include individuals with connections to Gov. Justice, who is running in the 2024 Republican primary for U.S. Senate to unseat U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and join Capito’s mother — U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. –on Capitol Hill.

Elmer Coppoolse, the chief operating officer of the Justice-owned Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, donated $1,000. Paul Hardesty, president of the West Virginia Board of Education and who has lobbied on behalf of Justice-owned companies in the past, donated $2,800 for the primary and $2,800 for the general election. Brian Abraham, chief of staff to Gov. Justice, donated $500. Capito also received $2,500 from the Portman for Senate Committee from former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

State Auditor J.B. McCuskey raised $120,474 for the second quarter, bringing year-to-date contributions to $648,233. The campaign spent $236,248 year-to-date, leaving McCuskey with $412,083 in cash-on-hand. Secretary of State Mac Warner raised $92,210 for the quarter, bringing him to $324,690 year-to-date. The campaign spent $125,314 year-to-date, leaving Warner with $194,510 in cash-on-hand.

“I am honored by the support and endorsement of West Virginians from a number of conservative groups, each having active members from all 55 counties organizing in all parts of the state,” Warner said in a statement last week. “That is as widespread and broad-based as one can get.”

There was no report for second quarter donations available for Huntington car leadership owner Chris Miller, the son of U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va. According to the campaign and the Secretary of State’s Office, the report is considered filed on time but technical issues with the campaign finance compliance vendor and the state’s Campaign Finance Reporting System are preventing the data from being uploaded into the state’s system. Both sides hope to have the issues resolved Monday.

According to the campaign, Miller raised $316,581 for the quarter for a total of $3.8 million raised election year-to-date since first announcing his campaign for governor at the end of 2022. Miller’s cash-on-hand was more than $3.8 million. Miller had ended the first quarter at the end of March with $744,573 in election year-to-date contributions and $3.3 million in cash-on-hand, though $2.9 million of that was from loans from himself to his campaign.

Rashida Yost of Martinsburg raised $8,100 for the quarter, bringing her year-to-date contributions to $12,941. But of that amount, $8,000 came from Yost herself. Yost has spent $5,348 year-to-date, leaving her with $8,593 in cash-on-hand going into the remainder of 2023. Edwin Vanover of Bluefield and Terri Bradshaw of Gandeevile filed no reports.

Cecil Silva of Spurlockville, the only one Democratic candidate that has filed precandidacy paperwork to run for governor, filed no reports.

In the race to succeed Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, significantly outraised freshmen state Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha.

Weld, vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, raised $102,606 during the second quarter, and has raised $112,122 since he entered the Republican primary for attorney general at the beginning of the quarter in April. The Weld campaign has spent $12,201, leaving him with $98,317 in cash-on-hand.

“I am overwhelmed by the support I’ve received less than three months after announcing my campaign,” Weld said in a statement Saturday. “It is incredibly humbling to have West Virginians from all corners of the state supporting my candidacy – and this report shows the importance of hard work on the campaign trail. We have just started our efforts to meet as many West Virginians as possible and can already feel the momentum.”

Stuart, who served from 2017-21 as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, raised $21,067 for the quarter, bringing his year-to-date contributions to $22,529 since launching his campaign for attorney general at the beginning of May. After spending $3,093 during the quarter, Stuart has $69,436 in cash-on-hand thanks to an outstanding $50,000 loan from himself to his campaign.