West Virginia State Senate Majority Whip Ryan Weld (R-Brooke) announced that he is running for Attorney General (AG) of West Virginia.
“Over the next 12 months, my team and I are going to make it clear that my experiences as an officer in the Air Force, as a prosecuting attorney, and as a legislative leader all make me the most qualified candidate to be this state’s next Attorney General. We are running a campaign that is focused on getting the government out of people’s everyday lives, fighting the drug epidemic ravaging our communities, and protecting our citizens from fraud and abuse. We are putting the freedoms of West Virginians first in this campaign,” Weld said.
Weld will be seeking the Republican nomination for AG after current AG, Patrick Morrisey, announced that he is running for Governor of West Virginia.
Weld says his platform for AG will be based on three principles:
- He will continue to use the power of the office to fight back against federal overreach and excessive regulations
- He will hold accountable those responsible for the opioid and drug crisis that has ravaged the community and devastated families across the state
- Weld vows to protect West Virginia’s consumers from fraud and safeguard seniors from abuse and neglect
Weld started public service in 2005 when he was commissioned into the Air Force Reserve. After spending years on active duty with the U.S. Intelligence Community and a deployment to Afghanistan, he made the choice to come back home to West Virginia.
“When I came home in 2011, I realized that most of the folks I grew up with had been forced to leave in order to find opportunities for themselves and their families. I knew then that I had to do everything I could to turn West Virginia into a place with opportunities for both those who stayed, and those who wanted to come back. That is what motivates me as an elected official,” Weld said.
Weld said he plans to fight for West Virginia’s continued growth so more West Virginians can continue to call this state home.
“We are growing into a place that is full of new opportunities and growing optimism – and we need an attorney general who understands this change and is ready to fight for this new West Virginia,’ he said. “I firmly believe that my experience has uniquely prepared me to lead the office that will help protect the future that is now within West Virginia’s reach.”
He also recognized the important progress made by Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who has served in the role for the past eleven years.
“D.C. is clearly out of touch with the needs and worries of everyday West Virginians. I vow to continue the tremendous work started by Patrick Morrisey against Washington’s overreach and ensure that the progress we have made in the past few years isn’t stopped by bureaucrats and politicians who have never been here,” Weld said
