CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The race for 2024 is starting to heat up and one West Virginia legislator says he is considering seeking a higher office next election to better serve the people of the Mountain State.
Senator Mike Stuart (R-Kanawha), who just finished his first session as a State Senator, says he is looking at different ways he can better serve his state with the experience he already has under his belt.
Stuart is the founder of the West Virginia Conservative Foundation, former WVGOP Chairman, served as Co-Chair of Donald Trump’s West Virginia campaign, and most recently served as U.S. Attorney after being nominated by President Trump.
Stuart tells LOOTPRESS that he is considering running for either attorney general or governor and that his decision will be made with the interests of West Virginians in mind. “I’m not somebody who runs for office for a title; I run because I can make a difference, and I’ll put my resume and my experience and the things I’ve done up against pretty much anyone without apology,” Stuart said.
Stuart says that he believes current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has done a great job for West Virginia, and if that Morrisey decides to seek a different office, he would want to continue the same work Morrisey has done.
“I think you’ll see that West Virginia over the last six to eight years has done some pretty landmark work in terms of working with other states at the state level, but on a federal basis to be able to attack that federal overreach and to protect the right of states to make self-determining judgments on a number of issues, whether it’s environmental issues, whether it’s labor and employment issues,” Stuart stated.
Morrisey has not yet declared whether he will run for reelection or seek a different office, such as governor. Stuart says he will not challenge AG Morrisey if he decides to run for reelection.
Fighting drug use in West Virginia, especially among teens, is a top priority of Stuarts’.
“High school kids and middle school kids using drugs is growing exponentially. In fact, I think just [recently], Huntington Middle School had four kids that they had found with marijuana vaping devices, and one of them had to be taken to the emergency room,” Stuart explained.
“Lincoln County, in a 30-day period of time, 26 students were suspended. Barbour County, 29 students suspended. So when you look across the state, every county has the same challenge. At any one point, there are probably a thousand kids across West Virginia suspended for drugs in our schools.”
Stuart does believe if he runs for AG, he can win because of the experience he brings to the table. “I’ve had experience at the federal level. I’m a conservative, a bonafide true conservative without question. I have a history of fighting against powerful forces and winning. I think that’s exactly what we need in our next attorney general.”
Stuart says the State Senate race that he won is proof of his ability to win and get things done. In the 2022 midterms, Stuart beat four-time incumbent Democrat Senator Dr. Ron Stollings by over 16 points in a district that has been predominantly Democrat for decades.
Sen. Stuart has officially filed pre-candidacy documents for the 2024 election but has not declared for any particular office.