Democratic challenger Sam Brown Petsonk faces Republican incumbent Patrick Morrisey in the race for West Virginia Attorney General. Morrisey did not reply to a Gazette-Mail questionnaire nor a request for an interview.
Sam Brown Petsonk (D)
Town of residence: Edmond
Education: Sam earned his law degree from Washington & Lee University, and his college degree from Brandeis University.
Occupation: Lawyer
What prompted you to run for office?
Petsonk
One in 10 West Virginians will lose our healthcare if my opponent, Patrick Morrisey, succeeds with his current lawsuit to repeal our federal healthcare laws. I’ve never been a politician before. But I could not let Morrisey do such damage to our health and our entire economy.
As a lawyer, I’ve spent my career delivering millions of dollars in wages, healthcare, and black lung benefits for hundreds of coal miners and workers statewide. I’ve fought to protect retirees’ healthcare, and to promote workforce development and economic opportunity.
I’m running to serve as Attorney General because our healthcare workers came to me scared. Scared about what happens if Morrisey succeeds in his lawsuit to dismantle our healthcare sector. He’ll destroy a billion dollars annually from our state’s economy. He’ll kill thousands of extremely well-paying healthcare jobs.
Most of us know Morrisey was a lobbyist for the pain pill industry before he moved here. Those companies can profit richly when West Virginians lack good healthcare. When people have to self-medicate, they turn to pills. But our hospitals, our doctors, our patients, & our economy cannot withstand the damage that we will suffer if Morrisey wins. That’s the main reason I’m in this race.
What's your view of the state's participation in a lawsuit to end the Affordable Care Act?
This lawsuit is a purely partisan power play to benefit Morrisey’s friends in the pharmaceutical business. If Morrisey wins what he asked for in this lawsuit, over 179,000 hard-working West Virginians will lose their state health card. Tens of thousands more will lose their private insurance because insurance costs will skyrocket. The lawsuit threatens healthcare access for all of us with "pre-existing conditions" like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, pregnancy, cancer, etc. The lawsuit would also change federal black lung benefits for the worse. They’ll make it extremely hard for coal miners to qualify for benefits that they deserve. Also, Morrisey’s reckless lawsuit raises drug costs for seniors and cuts addiction treatment dollars for 50,000 West Virginians. There is no way we beat the addiction crisis if we lose that money. Thousands will continue dying here. We cannot afford any of that at all, and it is inhumane.
West Virginians deserve an Attorney General who fights to protect everyone’s access to affordable health care. Morrisey never had approval to file this lawsuit, and never should have done it. As Attorney General, I plan to withdraw West Virginia’s support for this dangerous lawsuit.
What is the most fundamental change that needs to be made in West Virginia for a more successful future, and how would the role of attorney general contribute?
We need to restore accountability in our government and society. That can begin with the state’s chief legal officer. The duties of our Attorney General are twofold: 1) to serve as the People’s Lawyer by protecting the public interest in court, and 2) to serve as counsel to our governmental agencies, protecting due process, transparency, open meetings, etc.
To illustrate what I mean by accountability, consider the overdose crisis under Morrisey. The overdose rate has doubled. I make three covenants on this topic: 1) Litigation. I will lead by collaborating with cities and counties to better document our damages, and coordinate broadly for better outcomes for all of our public litigants, not just a favored few. 2) Federal funding. Morrisey seeks to defund our treatment system by gutting Medicaid and related programs. I will not do that. We can’t lose such life-saving money. 3) Recovery. The two biggest barriers to successful recovery are stigma and unaffordability of treatment. Through Rehabilitation Services and the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division, we can help our neighbors to get back in the workforce and back with their families. We sorely need an Attorney General who understands the job and embraces accountability.
Patrick Morrisey (R-incumbent)
Morrisey
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey did not reply to a Gazette-Mail questionnaire nor a request for an interview.
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