A conversation with gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Mac Warner

CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Voters across the state are making their way out to the polls as the final hours of the West Virginia Primary Election are upon us.

The gubernatorial race has been a topic of much discussion amongst voters in recent months, with former House of Delegates member Moore Capito, businessman Chris Miller, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, and Secretary of State Mac Warner commanding the lion’s share of attention in early polls. Huntington Mayor Steve Williams is running as the only Democratic candidate in the race, while Republicans Mitch Roberts and Kevin Christian have also thrown their respective hats in the ring.

LOOTPRESS reached out to Secretary of State and Republican candidate Mac Warner on Election Day to discuss his campaign, the work of the Secretary of State’s Office, and more  ahead of the conclusion of the race. The conversation can be seen below.

LP: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us. We’re at the tail end of this primary election cycle. What are your feelings coming up to the finish line, as it were?

MW: I feel great. We’ve got a groundswell of support; we’ve got our ground game going; we have our coalitions getting the veterans out to vote; the church people have made out to vote; women and gun owners; everybody’s working everywhere I go. It’s not just one or two, it’s whole groups. It’s like, “hey, I’ve got my church running for you,” “I’ve got my.Veterans;” It’s groups, and those are the types of things that I don’t think these polls have taken into account. So there’s been a lot of negativity out there. I’m staying above the fray, I haven’t gotten into that. I’m the one person who can unite the party because I haven’t irritated the other factions. So, we’re just feeling good and looking forward to the polls closing and getting the tabulated votes in this evening. I think we’ll have some results by 10:00pm or 11:00pm – and that’s what everybody wants is full results on election night, right?

LP: I did want to talk a bit about your military background, it’s been such a focal point of the campaign. How important has the support of our veterans throughout the state been for the campaign throughout this election cycle?

MW: Well, we’ve resonated with the veterans because we all have a common background that starts with a work ethic that usually begins about 5:30 in the morning. People who served in the military have gotten up at that time going out for BT, then gotten breakfast and then gotten to work. So, work and the focus on a mission – they take that and the experience of me helping to clean up the Secretary of State’s Office ; to clean up the voter registration equipment; implement voter ID; and to get the best equipment in the world in all 55 counties; all those sorts of things that have just made the Secretary of State’s Office shine recently. [From the time] before I came into office and afterwards, they will tell you the vast improvement that we’ve done there and that carries right on over here to the governor’s office. I’d like to do what we did in the Secretary of State’s office throughout all of state government, making all state agencies much more responsive to our customers. So, that that’s why the veterans wanted a veteran in.Because they know that attention to detail, mission, focus, tackling big problems, and consistent way of going about that. That’s why the veterans got out in large numbers for me today.

LP: On the subject of the Secretary of State’s office, I wanted to talk briefly about voter participation, specifically with regard to younger voters. It seems like this year so many schools, perhaps more than ever, are qualifying for the Jennings Randolph Award for registering high school senior voters. How important is the engagement of young folks and getting them involved in the process early on?

MW: Well, there’s several layers to that. One, of course, we want as many people participating in the elections as possible, so getting them registered to vote was simply the first step in the process. Now, getting them out to vote is the second step. But I’ll give you one heartwarming story from this morning: We had eight high school students who turned 18 and registered to vote, who are now poll workers in Barbour County. When we hear that, that’s what we’re looking for is that engagement and them stepping up to the plate, ready to take on the challenges of a citizen – a citizen is somebody who gives back, otherwise you’re a civilian, you’re just living in the in the space and in the area of the state or the county. But a citizen is one who gives back and so when you register to vote, you’ve now taken that step from childhood into adulthood. Once you turn 18, there’s so many rights and responsibilities that come with that, and voting is just one. It’s what people have fought and died for, giving us this great country, giving us our democracy. And now the students that participate in that process are acknowledging that yes, they are the next generation to step up and take on these challenges. It really is s a neat story I think, and just one anecdotal evidence of this outreach that we have been doing. We’ve probably had 30 high schools that got that Jennings Randolph award, and what that is, is that’s where the senior class registers its eligible voters to vote. If you get 100%, you get this gold award; If you get 85% you get the silver award. I’ve been out all over the state giving those out this year and it’s just a neat experience to bring them into the process.

CG: The registering is just sort of the first step that could snowball into full blown engagement with the process and the community, and it’s a great thing. Any final thoughts as this portion of the gubernatorial race draws to a close?

MW: Well, again, I’m just trying to stay above the fray as far as the negative advertising that we’re hearing and get my message out of, ‘education, education, education.’ We’re giving those students a chance to succeed individually in life, to prepare their families for a successful career, and that’s what we all want, is to see those people to stay inside West Virginia; to be creative and entrepreneurs; start a business; join the workforce; to get those jobs, you have to have an educated workforce. That’s why my focus has been on education, and every step of the way that also helps us tackle the opioid crisis, obesity, the job and workforce development, workforce participation; A good education, that’s one thing that nobody can take from you. They can repossess your car, fire you from your job; but they can’t take your education from you. So if we have an educated workforce, then those people are ready to individually succeed, to grow and build families, to start their own business, to work in somebody else’s business; Just in education, that’s the foundation stone for so much success in all of life, and that’s why I’ve focused on that in the campaign and will focus on that as governor.

LP: Fantastic. Well, Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for taking the time and best of luck to you.

MW: You bet, good talking to you. Thanks!