House Judiciary Chairman Moore Capito visits Raleigh County in his bid to become West Virginia’s next governor

SHADY SPRING, W.Va. (WVVA) - We’re continuing our look at candidates vying to become West Virginia’s next governor. House Judiciary Chairman and Del. Moore Capito, (R) Kanawha County, was in Daniels on Tuesday to make his case to voters and the Raleigh County Republican Executive Committee.

In the House, Chairman Capito has been at the forefront of some of the biggest legislative policy initiatives in the House of Delegates over the last year -- from moving forward a bill to ban abortions in the state to legislation aimed at providing protections for religious freedom.

Chairman Capito also recently served as a sponsor of the Cassie Johnson Act, legislation that stepped up the criminal penalty for those whose actions result in the death of a law enforcement officer.

“We are at the tip of the spear when it comes to defending West Virginia values,” he told voters of his committee work on Tuesday night.

Chairman Capito also touted his efforts to help recruit Republicans in the last state election, efforts that resulted in the largest Republican supermajority in the state’s history. As a result of that margin, he said lawmakers were able to implement the largest set of tax cuts in the state’s history, including a significant cut to the state income tax that affects every working West Virginian.

He said he was also proud of his vote in the last session to redesign the state’s K-3 education curriculum, passing legislation that puts aides in as many of those classrooms as possible. The goal is to provide additional one-on-one support in critical areas such as reading and math.

“No question education has to be a top priority when it comes to cultivating our youth, especially when we look at K-12. We know that children, from birth to three, learn to read. From three to the rest of their life, they’re reading to learn. So if we’re not reading by that measuring stick, we’re already falling behind.”

The son of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, (R) West Virginia, Chairman Moore is no stranger to politics. His cousin, Riley Moore, is the state’s Treasurer. But as he hits the campaign trail, he warned listeners not to vote for his name, but his vision.

“Nobody is harder on themselves than West Virginians. We’re just starting to feel good about what we’re doing in West Virginia. We need to be proud of spiking the football when we have a win. That’s what the outside sees -- that we’re succeeding because we are succeeding. But if we don’t tell our story, nobody is going to hear it and that’s why I’m excited to get out and tell our story.

Other GOP candidates in the race so far are Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, State Auditor J.B. McCuskey, Sec. of State Mac Warner, automobile dealer Chris Miller, Terri Bradshaw of Gandeeville, and Rashida Yost of Martinsburg.

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