Moore Capito, the son of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), has advocated for soft-on-crime policies, but now embraces tough-on-crime rhetoric as part of his gubernatorial campaign.
Capito announced last November his candidacy to replace the term-limited Gov. Jim Justice (R). Moore serves as the chairman of the state’s House Judiciary Committee and even dubbed himself the “architect of the first Republican supermajority” in West Virginia history.
A recent poll put Capito and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey (R) in a virtual tie for the Republican nomination.
His grandfather, Arch Moore, the father of Sen. Moore Capito, represented the state in the U.S. House and subsequently served as the state’s governor.
As the state House Judiciary Committee chairman, Moore has led Republican efforts to enact criminal justice reform.
“As a former vice-chairman, Moore played a vital role in our work to ensure West Virginia has a fair legal climate that attracts job creators,” West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw (R) said in 2020.
Capito sponsored H.B. 2459, a bill that would allow drug felons to receive taxpayer-funded food stamps. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Justice, who is now running to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).
Capito voted for H.B. 2419, which would “require magistrates to let go inmates charged with some nonviolent misdemeanor crimes on personal recognizance bonds, which allow an inmate to be released based on a promise to appear for further court proceedings in the case against them.”
The West Virginia wing of the American Civil Liberties Union argued that the bail system is “effectively a ransom”:
This ACLU opposes the use of cash bail or other financial requirements as a condition of pretrial release. Instead, the ACLU supports individualized assessments of defendants that make specific findings as to why that person is deemed a flight risk or a risk to a specific person or group of people. Based on those findings, the least restrictive, non-financial conditions should be applied. Furthermore, the ACLU believes pretrial reform also requires the courts to take a more active role in helping people overcome barriers to attending court dates, such as child care and transportation.
In January 2020, Capito “said the Legislature needs to work to remove barriers that keep individuals from entering or reentering the workforce, citing 2019 legislation to expunge criminal records for nonviolent offenders.”
In 2019, Capito voted for S.B. 152 which “allows those with nonviolent felony convictions to petition the court to expunge their criminal record.”
Despite Capito’s lengthy legislative career of supporting soft-on-crime policies, the gubernatorial candidate has appeared to change his tune now that he is running for governor.
“Every West Virginian should always feel safe in their neighborhood. Businesses should never feel threatened by crime,” Capito wrote in June. “As Governor, I guarantee that West Virginia will enforce law & order to keep our communities safe. We will invest what is needed to protect our citizens.”
Every West Virginian should always feel safe in their neighborhood. Businesses should never feel threatened by crime.
As Governor, I guarantee that West Virginia will enforce law & order to keep our communities safe. We will invest what is needed to protect our citizens.— Moore Capito (@MooreCapitoWV) June 12, 2023
“Is anyone really surprised that Shelly Moore Capito’s son is a soft on crime RINO? The last thing GOP voters in West Virginia need or want is ANOTHER liberal Republican getting elected in one of the most pro-Trump conservative states in the union,” a longtime conservative movement aide told Breitbart News.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
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