WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — While Sen. Jim Justice considers challenging Gov. Patrick Morrisey in the 2028 gubernatorial primary, the pair took the stage Thursday at The Greenbrier to deliver economic-focused talks with a flavor of stump speeches.
They’re both highly competitive, and the next Republican primary for governor could shape up to be an expensive, dramatic show down.
National outlet Politico published a story Thursday morning saying Justice was “seriously considering launching a campaign to return to the governor’s mansion.” Justice, 75, said on MetroNews Talkline a few hours later that he’s considering a run.
Morrisey declined to comment about Justice when asked for a response.
“It’s literally, what, 20 months into my first term. That’s the last thing I want to focus on. I want to deliver,” Morrisey said. “I want to keep delivering on big wins for West Virginia, like we announced today. Helping our families, not playing politics. I want to make sure that we’re doing those really incredible things to help families who are struggling, that’s what my focus is.”
The governor and Justice recently traded jabs on social media — or, as MetroNews reporter Brad McElhinny called it, a “slap fight” — about the historic Greenbrier Hotel. The luxury resort is now partially owned by the Justice family after a recent $500 million financial deal resolved outstanding debt for the Justices linked to The Greenbrier.
The U.S. senator and governor spoke at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s 90th annual meeting and business summit at the resort. The event brings together the state’s business heavy hitters and politicians — and potential campaign funders with deep pockets.
Justice was up first to speak, delivering the kind of speech he’s known for: touting a deep love for West Virginia, a dislike of D.C. politics and some folksy flair with references to “Toby and Edith,” his hypothetical average West Virginia couple he often refers to when speaking.
There was also an obvious unhappiness with the state of economic development in West Virginia — a criticism some lawmakers have lobbed at Morrisey’s office while the state has a big need for jobs.
“What did we do — we went out and got the business, we went out and competed with others,” Justice said. “That’s what you have to do, for crying out loud, it’s not going to come to you.”
“It’s energy, energy, energy, energy. West Virginia is right dead in the bullseye,” he added.
Morrisey was more focused on what he has accomplished in the last 19 months. He said that his administration has focused on economic development “every single day.”
“We’re announcing $81 billion in investments in West Virginia, and $96 billion total since October of 2025. That includes more than 19,000 projected jobs,” Morrisey said. “Think about that. We’re going to tap into the coal, gas and nuclear energy that America desperately needs to compete successfully with China.”
The governor also focused on his investments in healthcare with $199 million in federal Rural Health Transformation funds and grants, along with $145 million in federal, state and other resources to address West Virginia’s poor water quality and wastewater infrastructure over the next year.
Steve Roberts, president of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, said West Virginia is unique in how it’s able to bring a U.S. Senator and governor in the same room and on the same day.
“This is an advantage shared by so few states and is a true leg up for our state,” Roberts said.
Morrisey announces new data center project
Justice as governor led a very proactive Economic Development Authority team, opting to use tax incentives to lure business. He touts Nucor and Berkshire Hathaway as hallmark economic wins during his time as governor.
“Go after it right now. Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself. Invest in West Virginia,” Justice said, pushing the crowd to focus on diversifying its energy portfolio. “You got to be hungry like a pit bull and go get it. Think about it. Go get it. Compete. Compete with other states … You see the things we did.”
In contrast, Morrisey likes to highlight when zero state dollars are invested in new businesses. He announced at The Greenbrier that Randox, a North Ireland-based health and toxicology company, will invest $13 million into the state to create 100 jobs without any state dollars contributed.
“It’s important that taxpayers know where their money goes,” Morrisey told reporters after his speech. “I’m not here to be critical of anything that happened in the past, but we’ve always viewed success from an economic development perspective as having stronger fundamentals. That’s why we talk about water and sewer a lot. That’s why we talk about roads and infrastructure, broadband. … It’s more important to get infrastructure that everyone can benefit from as opposed to just one or two people.”
Morrisey announced at The Greenbrier that Starwood Digital Ventures plans to bring a data center for Mason County. The company plans to invest $12 billion in the state and fund the infrastructure costs.
“We had very direct conversations with them because we want to make sure that power bills do not go up. Period. … This is not going to get passed on to the ratepayers, consistent with my ratepayer pledge as well, and with the law that’s in place, and also having a closed circuit water loop to minimize the water,” Morrisey said.
Environmental groups and concerned residents in West Virginia have pushed back on data center developments, particularly in rural Tucker County, due to potential harm to public and environmental health and more.
Justice also discussed data centers during his remarks, asking the crowd, “Do we really want to be left out?”
“There’s a way to have your cake and eat it too. There’s a way to absolutely preserve and eliminate the scare,” he said. “If you’re going to come to West Virginia and you’re going to do something in West Virginia, you need to be taking care of everybody — the environment, water, … the electricity bills, the noise, you’ve got to take care of everybody, and there’s a way to do it. And I don’t know all the details, but there’s an absolute way to do it.”
Roberts said that he’d like to see a governor with a focus on education. West Virginia continues to see a very low workforce participation rate.
“The role of education is still of paramount importance. As our previous speakers have said, the relationship between teacher and student is so important. Let’s always remind ourselves that success starts and is rooted in education,” Roberts said.
Justice was an ultra-popular two-term governor from 2016 to 2024. Elected as a Democrat, he switched to the Republican Party in 2017 at a rally for President Donald Trump.
During the 2024 gubernatorial race, Justice did not back Morrisey and instead endorsed Moore Capito. Morrisey, 58, won a four-way primary against Capito, Mac Warner and Chris Miller with 33% of the vote, then easily beat Democratic challenger Steve Williams in the November election for governor.
Earlier this year, Justice and Morrisey differed in their endorsements of legislators in heated Republican primary races.