By Mac Warner

WV Secretary of State

Last week, the Dominion Post in Morgantown inexplicably attacked my gubernatorial campaign announcement where I said the Governor of West Virginia needs to protect our citizens, our businesses, and our communities from rogue DC policies.  I meant what I said.  

One would think Morgantown’s hometown newspaper might want a governor who knows the University City’s back roads, routinely suffers through its traffic jams, who graduated from WVU Law, raised his four children in local schools, and who understands the significance of the Mohawk Bowl. But rather, as one of this state’s last bastions of liberal media, the Dominion Post ignores the fact that West Virginia has turned conservative Red for a reason: people throughout West Virginia – including me – are angry at DC bureaucrats forcing their liberal agenda on states.

Make no mistake, the Biden Administration is adversely affecting how states govern. As Secretary of State, I have seen it first-hand, and successfully fought against a national takeover of our election system.  Twice I have testified in front of Congress to describe West Virginia’s election successes, and what other states should do to improve election efficiencies and increase voter confidence. I have sent two letters to President Biden asking him to correct delays in releasing Census data and to rescind an overreaching election-related Executive Order.The Dominion Post’s attack questioned why “fight D.C. ‘wokeism’…as governor?” Let me cite four governors engaged in the same fight. 

Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are fighting the Biden Administration over the flow of drugs and illegal immigration out of Mexico. Here in WV, cities from Huntington to Martinsburg have suffered from the open border’s flow of drugs, and we’re angry at losing our youth to deadly fentanyl.

In neighboring Virginia, Governor Glenn Youngkin fought the Biden Administration for taking away parental control in education. Youngkin and Virginia’s parents won that fight.

South Dakota’s Governor Kristi Noem fought DC wokeness when she signed the Fairness in Girls’ Sport legislation. Here in West Virginia, we know what a woman is, and we don’t want boys playing on girls’ sports teams. In one of the most egregious and dangerous examples, we certainly do not want transgender medical procedures mutilating children as young as 10-years old occurring in our state.

And is there any greater example of federal overreach than how the Biden Administration dealt with COVID mandates? A number of governors have pushed back against federal mandates and mandatory vaccinations. Our State Motto, “Mountaineers are always free!” is a great guideline that I will follow.Yes, the position of governor is exactly the right place to push back against the dangerous, woke, and often silly “progressive” agenda that flows out of DC. West Virginia should know that I am a battle-tested constitutional conservative who respects the Rule of Law, and I will govern accordingly. As Governor of West Virginia, I will proudly fight to put and to keep West Virginia first.

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Mac Warner is now serving in his second term as WV Secretary of State. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the WVU College of Law.  He and his wife Debbie are the parents of four children – two sons and two daughters who are all serving or have served in the United States military.