Charleston – West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner has announced that he is running for governor.
Warner, who was first elected secretary of state in 2016, already has nearly $53,000 in contributions for the 2024 election cycle, according to the secretary of state’s website.
Republican Gov. Jim Justice is prohibited by law from seeking a third term.
Warner lost in a U.S. House GOP primary race in 2010. Before that, he had served in the U.S. Army for 23 years, retiring at the rank of lieutenant colonel.
After Warner took over as secretary of state in 2017, he fired 16 employees — one-third of the office’s staff — and the state had to pay more than $3 million in wrongful termination legal settlements.
The employees sued, alleging he terminated them over their political affiliations. All but one of the employees Warner fired were registered Democrats. Of the 22 new hires, 19 were Republicans.
