United States Senate election in West Virginia, 2018

Jobs
Any company that’s hired a West Virginian will tell you just how hard they’re willing to work to get the job done. Joe’s top priority is to create more good-paying jobs in West Virginia. A total of 240 businesses expanded or relocated to West Virginia during his tenure as governor. At that same time, $13 billion worth of business investments were made in West Virginia.

Now, as a United States Senator, he continues fighting to grow career opportunities for the people of West Virginia. His work has helped lure major companies to The Mountain State. Joe is committed to building up our state’s workforce by ensuring that West Virginians have the education and skills to be globally competitive and the chance to launch a successful career right here in West Virginia.

America’s infrastructure is deteriorating, and too many roads and bridges in West Virginia are falling apart. Joe wants to put West Virginians to work updating and modernizing infrastructure.

Security
As a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Joe understands the dangerous threats facing the United States. He’s worked in a bipartisan way to keep the American people safe in the age of terrorism and identify solutions to emerging threats. As far as Senator Manchin is concerned, there is no Democratic agenda or Republican agenda when it comes to national security; there is only an American agenda that puts the people of the United States first.

He has worked with both Democrats and Republicans to tighten sanctions against Russia, North Korea, and Iran and form a Congressional Review process to keep strong and effective sanctions in place. Additionally, Joe was the first Democrat to cosponsor the Taylor Force Act, which put pressure on the Palestinian Authority to stop making payments to individuals who committed terrorist actions against Israel.

Broadband
Senator Manchin understands that access to reliable broadband isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. He’s fighting to expand high-speed broadband access in the Mountain State because it’s essential that businesses, entrepreneurs, and students are connected to the world and have the tools they need to compete in the global economy. Currently, 500,000 West Virginians do not have access to broadband internet. Joe believes that West Virginia requires expanded internet access in order to create new jobs, better train our workforce, and build a brighter future for West Virginians. Senator Manchin refuses to allow rural communities to be left behind due to lack of broadband access.

Drug Epidemic
The opioid epidemic is hurting communities and families all across West Virginia. Sadly, West Virginia has the most overdose deaths of any state in the nation. Senator Manchin has been on the front lines of confronting the drug epidemic and is working with both sides of the aisle to help address this crisis from every angle — from prevention to helping those struggling with addiction get clean. Joe wants to bring everyone to the table to help curb the overflow of prescription pain medication coming into West Virginia.

Senator Manchin has fought to ensure that there is funding for substance use disorder treatment, pushed for medical professionals to have the information that they need to properly prescribe opioids given the risks of addiction, and worked to bring money to the state to help reduce drug trafficking and support law enforcement efforts. He worked to get federal agencies like the FDA to change their cultures and take the opioid epidemic seriously.

Joe led the charge against confirming the original nominee for Drug Czar, who had a record of helping the big drug companies flood our neighborhoods with pain pills. He wants to make sure the DEA has the oversight ability to crack down on suspicious pill shipments coming into our communities.

Seniors
West Virginians keep their word and honor their commitments to one another. Senator Manchin is committed to protecting seniors by making good on the promises we’ve made to them. He strongly believes that after a lifetime of hard work, West Virginia seniors deserve to retire with dignity and peace of mind. Joe will continue fighting to protect Medicare and Social Security for West Virginia’s seniors because they’ve earned it.

Veterans
The patriotism of West Virginians is second to none. Through his position on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, Joe has worked to fulfill the commitments our great nation has made to America’s Veterans and their families. Dealing with the bureaucratic Department of Veteran’s Affairs isn’t always easy, but Joe never backs down from a fight. Joe Manchin gets results for veterans.

In just the past year, Joe helped pass legislation that ensured all Purple Heart recipients receive full GI Benefits, helped remove onerous regulations that prohibited critical information sharing between VA and community health providers, and fought to keep the Veterans Upward Bound Program at local colleges funded. In 2017, Joe introduced the Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing (HIRE) Veterans Act and it became law with bipartisan support.

Joe believes that if you want to help a vet, you have to hire a vet. This is why in 2013, he co-founded the Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus. Since the caucus’ inception, veterans unemployment rates have consistently dropped, and in September 2017, it hit the lowest rate since 2001. While we celebrate this accomplishment, Joe is still fighting everyday to make sure that our service members have a job when they come home.

Energy
West Virginians take pride in the important role that the Mountain State plays as a major energy producer. Senator Manchin is fighting in the U.S. Senate to keep West Virginia coal miners on the job and support West Virginia’s energy economy. He is focused on creating a comprehensive national energy policy that will recognize the key role that coal plays in making the United States more energy independent. Joe wants to find a bipartisan pathway to harness domestic energy resources, including coal, natural gas, biomass, nuclear, wind, and solar.

Joe is working to bring a natural gas storage hub to West Virginia that can capitalize on the wet gas in the Ohio River Valley. A storage hub has the potential to significantly spur economic growth across the Appalachian region, and given West Virginia’s geographic location, establishing a local hub has the added benefit of strengthening America’s national security.

Coal Miners
Coal miner safety is deeply personal to Joe. In 1968, Joe’s uncle was killed in a tragic coal mining accident when Farmington No. 9 exploded. He’s introduced the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act, to give the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) the tools to investigate dangerous mines that put our coal miners at risk, and ensure that reckless coal operators are held accountable. Joe wants MSHA to have the funding and support they need to keep coal miners safe.

Manchin championed the Miners Protection Act to save health care for coal miners, and In 2017, he successfully secured permanent funding for healthcare benefits for 22,600 miners and their families. Joe is working to guarantee the promised pension benefits our coal miners earned by taking the lead on passing the American Miners Pension Act.

Education
A strong economy depends on a strong public education system. Joe is fighting to make sure that every West Virginian has access to a world-class education. He wants all West Virginia students prepared to enter college or to start a career when they finish high school. During his time as governor, enrollment in the Mountain State’s community and technical colleges significantly increased. As a Senator, he has worked to bring funding to West Virginia to support community colleges and career and technical education programs.

Joe wants to make sure we have a qualified teacher in every classroom and that all of our schools have the resources to give students every opportunity to achieve their dreams. In the Senate, he worked in a bipartisan manner to strengthen our K-12 education system and return control of our children’s education to our local communities. He believes that pursuing a college education should not leave students saddled with a mountain of debt, and will continue to work on bipartisan solutions to ease the burden of student loan debt. As governor, Manchin instituted a tuition freeze for the state’s colleges and universities from 2010-2011 to keep higher education affordable, and, as Senator, he led and passed a bipartisan bill to lower interest rates on federal student loans.

Healthcare
Joe and the people of West Virginia agree that our current healthcare system needs to be repaired and improved. He believes that West Virginians need access to affordable health care and that fixing health care for the American people will require a bipartisan solution. He wants to lower the cost of prescription drugs and rein in out-of-control insurance premiums.

As a Senator, Joe has fought to protect people with pre-existing conditions, preserve access to substance use disorder treatment, and preserve health insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of West Virginians. He will continue to work on bipartisan solutions that will lower costs and increase flexibility for West Virginians while promoting greater health education and personal responsibility to ensure that every West Virginian has the resources and knowledge to live a healthy life.

Taxes
Joe Manchin will always look out for West Virginians who work hard every day to earn a paycheck and provide for their families.

Senator Manchin has always supported all-inclusive tax reform, along the lines of the Reagan tax cuts, which did not add to the deficit immediately upon passage. As our governor, Joe Manchin cut the food tax to help working families living paycheck to paycheck and eliminated the state privilege tax on automobiles (the Welcome to West Virginia Tax).

As a small business owner himself, Joe Manchin understands that government should be a partner — not an adversary — to businesses. As governor, Manchin lowered taxes for businesses from 9% to 6.5% and eliminated the business franchise tax. Under Manchin’s watch, a $235 million tax burden was removed from local businesses.

The major difference between what Manchin accomplished as governor and what Washington Republicans just did is that Manchin didn’t cut Medicare and Social Security or destroy healthcare. Manchin's priority is the middle class.

The Republicans in Washington made reckless moves, opposed by AARP, designed to cut Medicare and Social Security, which would be devastating to the people of West Virginia. There is no way Joe Manchin would ever support Washington gimmicks that would hurt West Virginia’s seniors.

Joe Manchin is committed to protecting healthcare for West Virginia families. It's why he stood up for our rural hospitals and the 200,000 West Virginians that would lose healthcare coverage under the Republican plan.^[52]

Fighting Substance Abuse
According to the Martinsburg Journal, “no state official has been more effective in the struggle against drug abuse” than Patrick Morrisey. Morrisey created the state’s first-ever substance abuse fighting unit, and his office reached the largest settlement with pharmaceutical distributors in the state’s history, totaling $47 million.

“Morrisey, who has taken a leadership role in the battle against substance abuse in West Virginia, is taking to the national stage to battle the problem.” (7/22/17)

“no state official has been more effective in the struggle against drug abuse” (10/15/16)

In July, Attorney General Morrisey received widespread praise for forcing the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to change its opioid distribution quota rules:

Weirton Daily Times Editorial: "Good for Morrisey... The attorney general deserves enormous credit."

Martinsburg Journal News Editorial: "Thank Morrisey for prompting action the DEA should’ve taken in the first place."

The Dominion Post: "DEA changes policy after Morrisey sues"

Morrisey also significantly ramped up the state’s educational efforts to fight substance abuse, holding hundreds of seminars and public meetings to educate kids, community leaders, and seniors. He also formed the state’s first partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s office and the Attorney General’s to assist in the criminal prosectution of drug dealers.

As U.S. Senator, Morrisey will work with local, state, and federal authorities to better coordinate law enforcement efforts between these groups. He will continue to promote cost-effective treatment options for patients and press for tougher sentences for drug kingpins and he will continue tackling the problem holistically in the U.S. Senate, from a supply, demand, and educational perspective.

Morrisey understands the drug epidemic touches the lives of all West Virginians, and we must do more for those who need the treatment to get better in the head and in the heart, so all can live full and purpose-filled lives.

Jobs and Economy
Trump’s Tax Cuts

As a result of President Trump’s tax cuts, West Virginia families are seeing more money in their pockets, unemployment rates continue to drop, and many hardworking West Virginians are receiving bonuses and pay raises.

Not only has President Trump delivered for West Virginia taxpayers, West Virginia job creators are increasingly able to compete again on the global stage due to lower tax rates. Many have begun giving out bonuses and increased benefits to employees as a result of the Trump tax cuts.

Morrisey believes that more must be done to protect the tax cuts, as Washington liberals have pledged to repeal the tax cuts. He knows we must also continue to simplify the tax code, and make tax cuts for individuals permanent.

Unfortunately, Sen. Manchin voted no when President Trump and West Virginians asked him to cut taxes. Instead of helping President Trump, Joe Manchin sided with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer in opposing tax cuts for the American people.

Burdensome Regulations

West Virginia is still suffering from President Obama’s reckless regulatory policies and executive actions. Congress can help undo some of the damage by permanently repealing Obama’s onerous regulations.

President Trump has cut more regulations in this short amount of time than even Ronald Reagan, which has helped many West Virginia job creators compete again. There’s more work to be done on rolling back Obama’s burdensome regulations and many liberals in Washington want to stop the efforts of President Trump.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey led the charge against many of Obama’s excessive and unconstitutional regulations. Morrisey’s efforts have been essential in protecting West Virginia jobs from the attacks of the federal government.

Infrastructure

Morrisey believes West Virginia must continue to invest in its infrastructure to meet the needs of its citizens and businesses. For West Virginia to reach its potential, it must improve its roads, bridges, dams, and high-speed internet capacity. As Attorney General, Morrisey reached a record-breaking settlement with Frontier Communications that required the company to invest $150 million into the state’s high-speed internet infrastructure. As U.S. Senator, he will promote the state and encourage new private sector companies to locate here.

Fiscal Responsibility

Growing up in a working-class family gave Morrisey an appreciation for how to stretch a dollar. As Attorney General, he has worked to protect taxpayer dollars, voluntarily returning over $40 million to the state general fund and state agencies. In 2016, Morrisey initiated the first-ever disability fraud unit in the Attorney General’s office, saving taxpayers over $11 million in alittle over two years. As U.S. Senator, Morrisey will work to promote additional federal-state partnerships to combat fraud, waste, and abuse.

With the country’s debt spiraling out of control under President Obama, Morrisey wants to permanently curb Washington’s appetite for spending. Morrisey supports a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to force Washington to balance its books just like West Virginia families do every day.

Second Amendment
Morrisey’s record on Second Amendment issues is second to none in West Virginia, earning an A+ rating from the NRA and West Virginia Citizen’s Defense League. As Attorney General, he dramatically expanded reciprocity rights for gun owners and strongly supported passage of constitutional carry legislation in West Virginia. His office has regularly written legal briefs arguing in favor of gun rights and was active in fighting back against Obama’s gun grab efforts. As your U.S. Senator, he will continue his Second Amendment advocacy and fight the radical gun control lobby at every turn.

Sen. Manchin’s failed record on the Second Amendment

Manchin authored Obama's aggressive gun grab legislation, opposed constitutional carry in West Virginia, and sought to restrict and criminalize the private transfers of firearms between honest citizens. Joe Manchin has been no friend of the Second Amendment and West Virginia gun owners. Radical gun-control liberals like Hillary Clinton and Michael Bloomberg have spent millions of dollars supporting Manchin.

Manchin has also expressed concerns about the Constitutional right to due process and has made derogatory remarks about NRA members. While West Virginia stood with a pro-Second Amendment leader like Donald Trump, Joe Manchin stood with the most anti-gun presidential candidates in American History, Hillary Clinton.

The choice could not be more clear when it comes to West Virginians’ God-given right to protect themselves and their families. Far too often, Sen. Manchin has stood with the radical coastal elites who want to take away guns from law-abiding citizens. Meanwhile, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has led the charge to protect the Constitutional rights of West Virginians.

Right to Life
Patrick Morrisey is a staunch defender of life, and has been a strong ally for the pro-life movement here in West Virginia and across the country.

Patrick is 100 percent pro-life and has been endorsed by West Virginians for Life and the National Right To Life. Patrick helped lead the effort to pass the Pain-Capable law in West Virginia, and has called for the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Patrick has opposed all taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood and was a leader in standing for religious liberty in the Hobby Lobby decision.

Meanwhile, liberal Joe Manchin continues to vote to fund Planned Parenthood, has opposed pro-life judges, and voted for Hillary Clinton and her pro-abortion agenda.

Energy
As Attorney General, Morrisey was one of the most aggressive defenders of our Constitution. He led a 27-state coalition to defeat President Obama’s top anti-coal initiative at the U.S. Supreme Court. Morrisey successfully stood up to President Obama again when he helped lead a coalition of 30 states against the radical “waters of the United States” rule, which would have crippled West Virginia farmers, homeowners, those in energy jobs, and small business owners.

National Security
Maintaining a strong national defense is essential to preserving American Exceptionalism and our nation’s freedom. The world is growing increasingly dangerous, and our security interests must focus on pressing threats, including, but not limited to, eliminating ISIS and stopping the development of the North Korea and Iran nuclear programs.

It is Morrisey’s fundamental belief that the United States has a deeply rooted moral responsibility to defend Israel’s right to exist. He will do everything in his power to defend the interest of our nations’ essential alliance.

Illegal Immigration
As a country of immigrants, Morrisey appreciates that America is a melting pot of different ethnicities, religious backgrounds, history, and culture. At the same time, the country’s lax immigration laws pose a security risk to our homeland.

That is why Morrisey successfully filed suit against the Obama amnesty program and opposes sanctuary cities. Morrisey recently led a 10-state effort in support of President Trump’s anti-sanctuary city policy.

Morrisey believes we need a comprehensive plan to tackle illegal immigration and protect our country, including more aggressive efforts to track the flow of visitors into our country; building a wall; establishing more thorough vetting of security risks, and pushing greater coordination between law enforcement agencies.

Constitutional Conservative Values
On issue after issue, Morrisey took on and led fights against the Obama administration, while defending the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, the Tenth Amendment, and many other parts of our Constitution.

The U. S. Senate needs another constitutional conservative with the courage to defend the people’s rights against an expansive federal government. In the U. S. Senate, Morrisey will continue to ensure that no one – including the federal government – runs roughshod over West Virginia.

Morrisey is a staunch advocate for religious freedom and was one of several Attorneys General to join the legal efforts supporting Hobby Lobby. Morrisey supports the nomination of conservative judges who will protect our constitutional rights and not legislate from the bench.

Veterans
As the son of a VA nurse and a World War II Veteran, Patrick Morrisey knows that our nation’s Veterans deserve our utmost thanks. Our nation’s Veterans sacrificed and served our nation so that we may be free and that our West Virginia values are protected for generations to come.

Patrick Morrisey believes our Veterans and their families deserve the absolute best health care and benefits. The promises made to our Veterans must be kept, and Patrick is committed to standing up for the men and women who have served our country.

Fighting for Our Seniors
Our country made a solemn promise to our seniors, and we must do everything to keep that promise. While it’s important to consider reforms to keep Social Security and Medicare solvent for future generations, we should not make any changes that would negatively impact retirees or those nearing retirement.

During his tenure as Attorney General, Morrisey stood strong for seniors, working to protect them from scams and consumer fraud. As U.S. Senator, Patrick Morrisey will look out for seniors and veterans and target government resources to those who need it most – this includes the many low-income West Virginians on fixed incomes who cannot afford changes to their retirement plans when they are enjoying their golden years.

Health Care
Obamacare has hurt West Virginians from all walks of life with higher premiums, fewer health care options, and one-size-fits-all government-run health care. Patrick Morrisey continues to fight to repeal and replace Obama’s government-controlled health care system in order to bring down premiums, foster choice and innovation in healthcare, and get government out of the doctor-patient relationship. Patrick is committed to protecting coverage for those who need it most, especially those with pre-existing conditions.

Term Limits
Patrick Morrisey strongly supports term limits and would vote for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that places limitations on the number of terms members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate may serve.^[52]