Early voting ends today

The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, May 9, 2026

May 09, 2026

The Weak In Review

The Secretary of State’s office announced on social media that, as of Thursday evening, more than 48,000 West Virginians have cast in-person ballots ahead of Election Day on Tuesday and that more than 2,800 voters have cast absentee ballots. The early voting period ends at 5 p.m. today.

Gov. Morrisey remained unapologetic about his endorsement campaign, saying at a ceremonial bill signing event on Wednesday, “We have to do this based on policy, based on what’s best for the state and that’s why you see me engaging. I want our state to thrive and I’m not ever going to back down.” According to a list Morrisey posted on social media Friday, he has endorsed a dozen candidates in his effort to influence the makeup of the state Senate. “Stay tuned for more endorsements!” Morrisey wrote. On the other side of the Republican-on-Republican primary endorsement war, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) turned up in the Northern Panhandle Thursday to support two GOP candidates seeking state Senate seats.

8th Senate District Republican candidate Dr. Steven Eshenaur said this week that a mailer sent to voters by an out-of-state political action committee “was quite the talk at church on Sunday, knowing that my wife and I have adopted four children, two of which are African American.” The mailer shows Dr. Eshenaur wearing a black medical mask, with the words “Black Lives Matter” on the front. On Facebook, Dr. Eshenaur said “The latest negative mailer sent into the 8th District crosses a line that should never be crossed. It is offensive, it is racist, and by injecting race into this campaign, it is a direct attack on my family.” Eshenaur included a photo of the mailer in his FB post showing it came from “Mountaineer Conservative Action,” a group that Ogden Newspapers’ Steven Allen Adams reported is spending money in support of GOP incumbents in the state Senate.

Much of the focus of Tuesday’s primary election is on all the outside money being thrown at legislative races as Republicans duke it out among themselves. West Virginia Watch reported that school choice advocates account for a lot of it. And Mountain State Spotlight reported on a PAC — largely funded by conservative activist Leonard Leo — which is spending big to influence judicial elections in West Virginia.

Gov. Morrisey had an awkward moment on social media ahead of Mother’s Day weekend. In a reply to a post by West Virginia Watch reporter Amelia Ferrell Knisely in which she said she was taking time away from reporting news to attend an event with her daughter, Morrisey said, “Sorry that you missed our major announcements on an issue that you write a lot about—very positive steps to add to all of the good work we are doing.” Knisely has made a name for herself with her reporting on child welfare issues. And she later played catch-up, publishing a story about Morrisey’s event in which he announced West Virginia’s involvement in a Trump administration foster care initiative. After being asked by a WV Watch colleague of Knisely’s to clarify whether he meant to guilt her, Morrisey wrote “No guilt! Just want the good stuff to get out there — sometimes it doesn’t seem to appear when warranted!” Another Watch colleague replied by posting the story Knisely wrote.