Photo courtesy of WV Legislative Photography Del. Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, right, announced he will resign from his seat to focus on running for West Virginia Governor.

CHARLESTON – Dropping a bombshell before the Christmas break, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore Capito announced Thursday he is resigning from the West Virginia House of Delegates to focus on his campaign for governor of the state.

Capito, R-Kanawha, announced his impending resignation Thursday afternoon during Gov. Jim Justice’s weekly virtual administration briefing from the State Capitol Building. Capito also delivered a resignation letter, effective Friday, to House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and the House Clerk’s office.

“I think that the right thing to do … is I will step aside from my role in the House of Delegates so I can focus my full attention to the people of West Virginia, to continue to listen to them, to sit with them at their tables and engage in the dialogue and the issues that are important to them so that I can effectively and responsibly lead as governor,” Capito said.

Capito is in his fourth two-year term in the House of Delegates representing the 55th House District, having first been elected in 2016. He has served as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee since 2020. Capito also is the son of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and grandson of the late three-term Republican governor Arch Moore

“It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates, and I have been honored by the people of the 55th (District) to represent them for seven years,” Capito said. “I am eternally grateful for the trust that they placed in me.”

“Thank you and thank you for your service and your service as judiciary chair in the House of Delegates,” Justice said. “We wish you well in every way.”

Capito is one of eight Republicans that have filed precandidacy papers to raise campaign funds for governor, including Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Secretary of State Mac Warner, and Huntington businessman Chris Miller. The candidate filing period to be placed on the primary ballot in West Virginia begins Monday, Jan. 8.

Justice, who is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2024, is wrapping up his second and final term as governor. Justice has not yet endorsed in the GOP race for governor, but several Justice administration officials have donated to Capito’s campaign. Sen. Capito endorsed Justice’s U.S. Senate campaign in April, introducing Justice alongside U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C.

Del. Capito expressed his support for Justice and former president Donald Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House next year after losing reelection in 2020. Capito said he would continue Justice’s policies if elected.

“Congratulations to you, Governor, for ending this year of 2023 in a better place than we started in,” Capito said. “I was first elected in 2016 alongside two other get-it-done conservatives, you being one of them and, of course, Donald Trump being the other. And boy, how we have gotten things done for the State of West Virginia.

“As I travel around the State of West Virginia, what I am hearing all across the state is that the people want more of what they’ve been getting; more of the policies that have put us on a path of prosperity and to build on that progress,” Capito continued. “That is why I am running for governor, to continue the momentum, Governor, that you have created.”