West Virginia AG wins GOP governor primary in race full of anti-trans rhetoric & a gay conspiracy

On Tuesday in West Virginia, a five-man primary for the Republican nomination for governor ended in victory for the state’s right-wing attorney general, who will now fight in the general election on November 5 to succeed outgoing governor Jim Justice (R).

Moore Capito, son of U.S. Senator Shelley Capito (R-WV), lost to longtime Attorney General Patrick Morrisey after rumors spread that Capito is secretly gay. Despite the accusation, Capito saw an 11-point rise in the polls in the final weeks of the race before Morrisey bested him 33.5% to 27.5%. Capito never addressed the charges.

Related: GOP attorney general throws support behind 8th-graders who protested trans girl’s right to compete

Five girls forfeited a track and field event rather than play with a trans athlete.

Supporters of Mac Warner, West Virginia’s secretary of state, sowed the unsubstantiated rumor over the last several months in an effort to shake up the crowded field in his favor. He came in fourth.

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As Capito avoided the issue, the rumor spread, foremost among the former West Virginia delegate’s detractors and importantly in some quarters of the media, which picked up the story after a concerted disinformation campaign from a Warner PAC called Vets4Coal.

“Moore Capito Could Become West Virginia’s First Gay Governor” was the headline in the Pittsburgh Observer, a so-called “news site” headquartered just over the border from the Mountain State.

The site, lacking any contact information and populated with generic news stories accompanying the Capito article, hasn’t published anything since the rumor began circulating.

“Reports have surfaced indicating that Capito allegedly had an affair with a male staffer formerly working in the West Virginia Treasurer’s Office, a situation that ultimately led to the dissolution of his marriage and separation from his wife,” the article reads.  

The story detailed Capito’s “poignant and deeply personal journey” without any attributed facts, citing links to Facebook posts associated with Warner’s campaign – now broken following the election.

The same hit piece, in the guise of a sympathetic summary, alleged the existence of a photo “appearing to show Moore Capito holding hands with a male subject, though the origins of the photo are unknown,” while Vets4Coal offered their own take on the gay rumors that they were spreading in the piece.

“Being Gay is not the issue, however being dishonest is, he should just come out and stop dragging around a prop to make people think he is still married. Just be truthful and debate the issues.”

As the Republican candidates jockeyed for advantage in the crowded field, trans issues became a major focus of the campaign. In West Virginia, gender-affirming care for minors has already been outlawed, and trans girls are barred from participating in school sports.

An ad from a pro-Morrisey PAC accused millionaire third-place finisher Chris Miller of having “protected they/them, not us.” The same ad attacked Capito for working to “protect woke counselors.” Conversely, an ad from Miller attacking Capito accused Morrisey of lobbying for a “woke hospital” that wanted federal funds for “sex changes for minors.”

“His pronoun? Money-grubbing liberal,” the voiceover intoned, accusing Morrisey of “mutilating kids for cash.” 

Morrisey faced charges from Miller that he’s a “pro-trans liberal” in sheep’s clothing, despite the AG’s active support for the Save Women’s Sports Act and other anti-trans legislation in the state.

A few weeks ago, Morrisey also filed a brief in support of four female middle school students who protested their trans classmate’s inclusion in a track and field competition on April 18.

An Emerson poll found 54 percent of West Virginia Republicans were “very concerned” about transgender issues. Eight in 10 said the same about inflation and immigration.  

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