Huntington, West Virginia, Mayor Steve Williams said Monday that he plans to run for governor and will be the first Democrat to enter the race.
Williams made the announcement at a Labor Day celebration and said he would file his campaign paperwork in October.
Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who is term-limited under the state constitution, announced in April that he is running for Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin’s seat in 2024.
President Donald Trump is introduced by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) during a salute to service dinner at the Greenbrier Resort on June 3, 2018 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The president was participating in a military tribute on the eve of Independence Day. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The two-term GOP governor will face Republican Rep. Alex Mooney in the primary as they fight to take on Manchin, who has yet to announce a reelection bid. (RELATED: Joe Manchin Says He Is ‘Thinking Seriously’ About Leaving The Democratic Party)
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who ran against Manchin in the 2018 primary and lost, announced he is running for governor. (RELATED: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice Enters Senate Race To Take On Joe Manchin)
The 2024 West Virginia gubernatorial and Senate elections will be held on Nov. 5, 2024. Cook Political Report ranks the Senate race as a toss-up and the statehouse election as solid Republican.