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Fact check: Was Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey NeverTrump?
Patrick Morrisey
October 11, 2017
By Amée LaTour
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins are running in the Republican primary on May 8, 2018, for the chance to challenge Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in the Senate election next November. The Jenkins campaign released an ad on July 31 claiming, “For months, Patrick Morrisey was #NeverTrump...and now he's lying about it.” The ad also claims that Morrisey “refused to endorse the presumptive GOP nominee” for 70 days after Trump won the West Virginia Republican primary on May 10, 2016.[1][2]
Determining whether Jenkins' claims are true requires tangible evidence. When asked to provide it, the Jenkins campaign referred to content in the ad. However, that content does not support Jenkins’ claims against Morrisey.[3]
Jenkins’ ad refers repeatedly to the fact that Morrisey in 2016 ran as an unbound delegate to the GOP convention.[4][1] Being an unbound delegate does not equate to being #NeverTrump or to refusing to endorse Donald Trump.
Background
Evan Jenkins is a GOP member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing West Virginia's 3rd District. He was first elected in 2014. He served in the state Senate from 2002 to 2014 and in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 1994 to 2000.
Patrick Morrisey was elected as the state's attorney general in 2012, becoming the first Republican attorney general in the state since 1933. On May 10, 2016, Morrisey was elected as an unbound delegate from West Virginia to the Republican National Convention.[5][6]
The Republican National Convention took place from July 18 to July 21. All 34 of the state's GOP delegates, including Morrisey, voted for Trump.[7]
Morrisey and #NeverTrump
As support for its claim that Morrisey was #NeverTrump, the Jenkins' ad links to a West Virginia MetroNews article from April 2016 that quotes Morrisey as saying, "When you run unaffiliated, you have the ability to make a seasoned judgment choice." He is further quoted as saying, "We know why Donald Trump is resonating in West Virginia and a lot of people believe he will change all the nonsense that we’ve seen in Washington and he’s clearly not part of the establishment. But I think (Texas Senator) Ted Cruz’s message also plays very well in West Virginia."[8]
The ad also links to a Politico article referencing Morrisey running as an uncommitted delegate.[1][9]
Morrisey’s reported observation about Cruz’s popularity in West Virginia does not constitute being #NeverTrump (characterized by a refusal to vote for Trump under any circumstances); nor does running as an unbound delegate.
Endorsement timing
Jenkins' campaign ad selectively highlights an excerpt from a July 17, 2016, article from The Journal (68 days after the state's primary), noting that "Morrisey registered to be a delegate and remains uncommitted to a particular presidential candidate."[10]
The article actually stated: "Although Morrisey registered to be a delegate and remains uncommitted to a particular presidential candidate, he said he will support the Republican nominee regardless."[10]
Morrisey is also quoted as saying, "When I first signed up to be a delegate, the primary was wide open, so I did not commit to any particular candidate because it was too early to tell what would unfold. I intend to support the nominee, because electing Hillary Clinton would be devastating for West Virginia.”[10]
Conclusion
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins are running in the Republican primary for the chance to challenge Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin in 2018. A Jenkins campaign ad claims that Morrisey was #NeverTrump and refused to endorse the presumptive GOP nominee for 70 days following the West Virginia primary.[1]
Determining whether Jenkins' claims are true requires tangible evidence. When asked to provide it, the Jenkins' campaign referred to content in the ad. However, that content does not support Jenkins’ claims against Morrisey.[3]
The Jenkins’ ad refers repeatedly to the fact that Morrisey in 2016 ran as an unbound delegate to the GOP convention.[1] Being an unbound delegate does not equate in any way to being #NeverTrump or to refusing to endorse Donald Trump.
See also
- United States Senate election in West Virginia (May 8, 2018 Republican primary)
- United States Senate election in West Virginia, 2018
- Types of delegates
- NeverTrump movement
Sources and Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Morrisey's Millions, "Refused to Endorse Trump," accessed September 24, 2017
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results, Primary Election—May 10, 2016," accessed October 11, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Amee LaTour, "Email communication with Joe Reidy," October 10, 2017
- ↑ An unbound delegate is free to vote for any candidate of their choosing, in contrast to bound delegates who are pledged to vote for the winner of the state’s primary.
- ↑ As of this writing, other candidates in the 2018 Senate race are Democrats Chase Henderson and Paula Jean Swearengin and Republicans Bo Copley, Scott Ernst, and Jack Newbrough.
- ↑ In this fact check, the terms unbound, unaffiliated, and uncommitted are used interchangeably.
- ↑ CNN, "Republican national convention roll call," accessed September 30, 2017
- ↑ West Virginia MetroNews, "Morrisey among hundreds of possible West Virginia Republican convention delegates," April 14, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Trump likely to win West Virginia but lose delegates," April 16, 2016
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Journal, "Morrisey to attend Republican National Convention," July 17, 2016
Launched in October 2015 and active through October 2018, Fact Check by Ballotpedia examined claims made by elected officials, political appointees, and political candidates at the federal, state, and local levels. We evaluated claims made by politicians of all backgrounds and affiliations, subjecting them to the same objective and neutral examination process. As of 2025, Ballotpedia staff periodically review these articles to revaluate and reaffirm our conclusions. Please email us with questions, comments, or concerns about these articles. To learn more about fact-checking, click here.
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