West Virginia Governor — Patrick James Morrisey
Patrick Morrisey is the 37th Governor of West Virginia, taking office on January 13, 2025. Before becoming governor, he served as West Virginia's first Republican Attorney General since 1933, a position he held for 12 years (2013-2025). Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in New Jersey, Morrisey moved to West Virginia in 2006 and is a graduate of Rutgers University.
Cut personal income tax and work toward eliminating the state income tax entirely, with the lowest personal income tax in the region
Status: in-progress
Morrisey signed a 5% across-the-board income tax cut in March 2026 and additional business tax cuts aligning with Trump tax provisions, totaling $230 million in annual revenue reduction. He campaigned on phasing out the personal income tax entirely, but faced budget constraints from previous tax cuts by his predecessor.
Expand school choice and educational freedom, including defending and expanding school voucher programs and charter schools
Status: in-progress
Morrisey fully funded the HOPE Scholarship program with $276 million during the 2026 legislative session. He signed the Riley Gaines Act early in his tenure to limit transgender athletes' participation in school sports. However, his effort to push for religious exemptions to school vaccine mandates failed in March 2025 when the legislature did not pass his proposed legislation.
Improve West Virginia's roads and infrastructure with significant investment
Status: in-progress
The 2026 legislative session secured an additional $125 million to improve West Virginia's roads and infrastructure. Morrisey highlighted this as a cornerstone achievement during his first legislative session.
Increase economic development through industrial recruitment, diversification, and data center attraction
Status: in-progress
During his first year, Morrisey announced major projects including a $4 billion private investment in West Virginia's first High Impact Intelligence Center (February 2026), Google Data Center in Putnam County (March 2026), Amazon expansion (April 2026), and other investments totaling hundreds of millions. He signed House Bill 2014 to streamline data center and microgrid development.
Advance energy independence and coal production through the '50 by 50' initiative to expand electrical generating capacity
Status: in-progress
In August 2025, Morrisey announced the '50 by 50' initiative aimed at expanding West Virginia's electrical generating capacity from 16 gigawatts to 50 gigawatts by 2050, primarily through coal expansion. The initiative aims to position West Virginia as vital to artificial intelligence development.
Reduce government waste and conduct comprehensive audits and performance reviews of state agencies
Status: in-progress
Morrisey launched efficiency reviews of all state agencies with the goal of agencies 'doing more with less.' His transition team announced plans for 'audits and performance reviews' of every agency to find cost savings. In the 2026 session, he achieved streamlining state government by eliminating nearly 30 outdated boards, commissions, and councils.