West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey gained significant momentum on Friday as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and former deputy assistant to President Donald Trump Sebastian Gorka endorsed Morrisey for U.S. Senate.
Sen. Cruz said in a press release on Friday:
A healthy republic requires active participation, and it’s encouraging when conservatives step forward to run for office. I’m asking West Virginia voters to carefully consider the choices before them this election cycle, and to stand with those who have proven themselves to be conservatives of conviction. In the race for U.S. Senate, I am proud to endorse Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, and I urge the voters in West Virginia to join me by supporting him.
“I’m honored to receive Sen. Cruz’s endorsement in this race,” Morrisey said. “Voters across West Virginia know that Sen. Cruz has fought tirelessly to defend the conservative values we all share. From standing up to Obama, to repealing Obamacare, to defending our Second Amendment rights, Sen. Cruz has never stopped fighting for us. I look forward to working with him in the U.S. Senate next year.”
“Your record of conservative results and fighting for principle is unambiguous. From standing up to President Obama’s War on Coal, to expanding gun rights, to defending unborn life, your record speaks for itself,” Gorka said in a statement, cheering Morrisey’s conservative record.
Gorka continued in his endorsement:
The U.S. Senate and President Trump could use someone with your principles and leadership fighting every day for our shared conservative values. You and I both know that Washington is still broken, and the only way to fix it is to send more leaders who will not waver, who will not give in to the swamp. Your record as Attorney General demonstrates that the liberals in Washington don’t stand a chance against you.
Attorney General Morrisey faces a competitive primary race against the establishment candidate Rep. Evan Jenkins (R-WV) and Don Blankenship, a former chief executive of Massey Energy Company. Recent polling shows that Morrisey leads with 24 percent of the vote, with Don Blankenship with 22 percent, and Rep. Jenkins has 17 percent ahead of the May 8 primary.
Morrisey has racked up several other conservative endorsements.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) endorsed Morrisey in April. “Patrick Morrisey has a proven conservative record of fighting for conservative values,” Sen. Paul argued.
Jenny Beth Martin, the Tea Party Patriots president, also endorsed Morrisey for U.S. Senate in April. “In West Virginia, Patrick Morrisey is the clear conservative choice for the United States Senate,” Martin said.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker endorsed Morrisey in February for the U.S. Senate race.
“Attorney General Morrisey’s strong, conservative record is exactly what West Virginia needs in its next senator,” Gov. Walker declared in a statement. “Patrick has fought for West Virginians while defending the rule of law, and he is ready to keep fighting for them as a champion of conservative reform in Washington, D.C.”
Breitbart News revealed in an exclusive report last month that Rep. Jenkins originally denied and then admitted to sending a letter urging lawmakers to support protection of an Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) trucking regulation.
Morrisey slammed Jenkins in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, arguing that:
After 20 years as a liberal Democrat, it’s clear Evan Jenkins has not abandoned his Democratic past. Jenkins was now caught lying about his support for a regulation issued by President Obama’s EPA at the urging of a lobbyist of a foreign company. How can West Virginians trust Evan Jenkins to stand up for their conservative values when he’s fighting the Trump administration and fighting to keep Obama’s EPA regulations? West Virginia deserves better than a fake-Republican.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) backed Rep. Jenkins and continues to attack Blankenship. The former coal executive has promised to oppose the Kentucky senator as Majority Leader if he wins the West Virginia senate race.
Steven Law, president of the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund super PAC, wrote a memo this spring that a Republican could beat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) in the general election, as long as the candidate is not Blankenship.
“We would forfeit any chance of beating Manchin if Blankenship becomes the nominee,” Law emphasized.
The coal magnate also committed a social faux pas this week when he referred to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s father as a “wealthy China person” who was “well-connected in China.” Secretary Chao is McConnell’s wife.
With Blankenship falling in recent polling, the race has become a two-man battle between the McConnell-backed Rep. Jenkins and the anti-establishment Morrisey.
“Sen. Manchin has betrayed the values many West Virginians hold dear. West Virginians deserve a senator who will put their needs first,” Gorka said.
“This race is one of the most important Senate races in the country, and it’s vital that voters nominate a Republican nominee who can defeat Sen. Manchin in the fall. I look forward to celebrating your victory,” Gorka concluded in his endorsement of Morrisey.
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