In 2015, Justice announced his candidacy for governor in the 2016 West Virginia gubernatorial election. Although a registered Republican before running for governor, he ran as a Democrat and defeated the Republican nominee, Bill Cole. Less than seven months after taking office, Justice switched back to the Republican Party after announcing his plans at a rally with U.S. president Donald Trump in the state. In the 2020 gubernatorial race, he was reelected over Democratic challenger Ben Salango.
On April 27, 2023, Justice announced his candidacy for the 2024 United States Senate election in West Virginia, looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin.[5] On November 9, despite having filed paperwork to run for reelection, Manchin announced that he would retire at the end of his term, leaving the seat open.[6] Justice became the Republican nominee on May 14, 2024, after defeating outgoing U.S. representativeAlex Mooney in the primary. He defeated the Democratic nominee, Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott, in the general election.[7]
After college, Justice went into the family agriculture business.[11] He founded Bluestone Farms in 1977, which now operates 50,000 acres (20,000 ha) of farmland, and is the leading producer of grain on the East Coast of the United States. During that time, he also developed Stoney Brook Plantation, a 15,000-acre hunting and fishing preserve in Monroe County. Justice is a seven-time national corn growing champion.[12] After his father's death in 1993, Justice inherited ownership of Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation. In 2009, he sold some of his coal business to the Russian company Mechel for $568 million. In 2015, after a huge drop in the price of coal led Mechel to close some of the mines, he bought the business back for $5 million.[13][14] Since buying back the mine from Mechel, Justice reopened several of the mines and hired over 200 miners.[15]
Justice's mining companies have been scrutinized for alleged cases of safety violation and unpaid taxes; in 2016, NPR called him the nation's "top mine safety delinquent".[16] Justice allegedly owed millions of dollars to the government in back taxes and unpaid coal mining fees and fines.[17] Two debt-related lawsuits were settled in 2019,[18] and in 2020 mining companies Justice or his family owned agreed to pay $5 million in delinquent safety fines.[19]
According to a 2020 ProPublica investigation, Justice had paid more than $128 million in judgments and settlements over his businesses' unpaid bills.[20][21] In October 2023, a federal court ordered the U.S. Marshal to seize and sell a helicopter the company owned to pay an $8 million judgment granted to a creditor.[22]
As of 2014, Justice owned 70 active mines in five states. His charitable activities have included $25 million for the James C. Justice National Scout Camp at Summit Bechtel Reserve, $5 million for Marshall University, and $10 million to the Cleveland Clinic.[24] Justice initiated the annual holiday gift drive "Dream Tree for Kids" that gives away more than $1 million in Christmas gifts to children in need.[25][26]
Before taking office as governor, Justice resigned from all the executive positions he held. He placed his daughter Jill in charge of the Greenbrier and his son Jay in charge of his mining and agriculture businesses. He said he would place all his assets in a blind trust, but that the process would take time because of their complexity.[27][28] During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Justice and his family's businesses received between $11 million and $24 million in aid through the Paycheck Protection Program.[21] His luxury resort, the Greenbrier Hotel Corporation, received a loan of between $5 million and $10 million. The company did not promise to retain any jobs in exchange for the loan, which the Greenbrier would have to repay if it did not use at least 60% of the funds for payroll.[21]
Governor of West Virginia
Elections
Then-candidate Justice (seated fifth from the left) in Fairmont, West Virginia, in September 2016.
In May 2016, Justice won the Democratic nomination for governor. He defeated Republican nominee Bill Cole in the November general election.[32][33][34]
In January 2019, Justice declared his candidacy for reelection.[35] This time, he ran as a Republican, having changed his party registration after a 2017 rally with President Donald Trump. He defeated multiple challengers in the Republican primary.[36]
In the general election campaign, Justice focused on his COVID-19 response, the state's budget surplus, and his work on the substance abuse crisis.[37] Several polls had him leading by a large margin over Kanawha County commissioner Ben Salango in the months preceding Election Day.[38] On November 3, 2020, he defeated Salango[37] with over 63% of the vote to Salango's 30%. With his win, he became the first West Virginian Republican gubernatorial candidate to win since Cecil Underwood in 1996 and the first GOP incumbent to win a second term since Arch A. Moore Jr. in 1972.
The United Mine Workers endorsed Salango after having endorsed Justice in 2016, but Justice was endorsed by the businessmen's association West Virginia Coal Association, which said he had "worked to protect the miners, increase coal production, and explore innovative ways to use coal for new products and downstream job opportunities".[39]
Tenure
Justice at his inauguration in January 2017.
Justice took office as governor on January 16, 2017. He is known for using colorful metaphors and digs at political opponents.[40][41]
To improve West Virginia's budget situation, he has proposed raising the state's revenue by $450 million, primarily by increasing the consumer sales tax, reinstituting the business and occupation (B & O) tax, and establishing a "rich man's" tax.[42] He also opposed plans to cut health and education spending.[43] On April 13, 2017, while vetoing a budget bill passed by the West Virginia legislature, Justice said the bill was "nothing more than a bunch of political you-know-what" and showed a prop featuring cow manure on a print copy of the bill.[44]
On August 3, 2017, Justice announced that he had rejoined the Republican Party. He made the announcement at a rally hosted by President Donald Trump in Huntington and also confirmed his support for Trump. Justice said he was returning to the GOP because he could not support Trump as a member of the Democratic Party. The announcement came as a surprise to his own staff.[45] This also made Justice the first Republican governor of West Virginia since Cecil Underwood in 2001.
Jim and Cathy Justice with Vice President Mike Pence in March 2017
Even after switching to the Republican Party, Justice initially supported incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin for reelection in the 2018 Senate election in West Virginia.[46] Later in the general election, Justice endorsed Republican Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey.[47] In February 2021, when asked by The New York Times whether he planned to run against Manchin, Justice said, "No, I'm really not . . . [i]f I can continue to do good stuff for West Virginia, I'm going to do it, and then probably fade off into the sunset."[48]
In 2020, Justice signed into law the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, which created felony penalties for protests targeting oil and gas facilities. The law, which was passed with the support of Dominion Energy, the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, and the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers trade association, was described by its sponsor John Kelly as having been "requested by the natural gas industry".[49]
On December 26th 2024 Justice announced that he will first finish up his gubernatorial term which ends on January 13 2025 and then start his senate term cutting off 10 days of his senate term.
Justice posing for a photo with road workers in March 2017.
Justice campaigned and has governed with support for the coal industry.[60] He does not support raising taxes but has supported increasing teachers' salaries, arguing that increased state revenue will pay for the increased budget spending.[61] In 2017, Justice said that he opposed budget cuts and supported raising sales taxes.[62] The libertarianCato Institute gave Justice an "F" grade based on their positions, but Justice voiced his disagreement with the rating.[63] Before Justice switched from a Democrat to a Republican, Senate president Mitch Carmichael called him "more Republican in his philosophies. Where he has gotten away from that a little bit is his tax-and-spend policies."[64]
In February 2021, Justice urged Senator Joe Manchin to vote for the $1.9 trillion stimulus package proposed by President Joe Biden, warning against being "fiscally responsible" and adding, "I don't really know exactly what the thinking could possibly be there. I mean, we got people that are really hurting."[48][65]
Of proposals to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, Justice said, "it's really, really hard to say one size fits all" nationwide. He added, "to be able to make it on 7 or 8 dollars an hour, that's really, really tough", while also expressing concern that too high a minimum wage could lead to unemployment.[66]
Abortion
Justice had said that he does not support abortion, but that the Supreme Court had decided the issue.[67] Later, he attended a rally supporting Amendment 1, a state constitutional amendment banning abortion once Roe v. Wade was overturned.[68][69] In September 2022, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Justice signed into law a bill banning abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with exceptions for medical emergencies and victims of rape or incest.[70]
Gun control
Justice supports gun ownership and limited gun laws. In 2018, he signed into a law a bill allowing gun owners to keep their guns locked in vehicles on their employers' property, a bill the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) supported.[71] He also signed a bill legalizing hunting on Sundays on private land.[72] On March 1, 2023, Justice signed into law a bill legalizing campus carry for those with concealed carry permits.[73]
Justice supports West Virginia's Medicaid expansion, which was implemented by the previous governor under the Affordable Care Act.[74] Justice opposed the American Health Care Act, a GOP House bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, saying that the bill "would cripple [West Virginia] beyond belief."[75]
LGBTQ rights
Justice has said that he respects the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, and that it is settled law.[76] In 2017, he opposed a bill that would have allowed businesses to refuse service to LGBTQ customers.[77] In 2023, Justice signed legislation prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors.[78] In 2024, Justice said he would need to review and "see the bill" before committing to sign the Fairness Act, legislation that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and customer service industries, but added, "if you're lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, you're welcome to come to West Virginia" and participate in the state's economy.[79] Justice had said he would support similar legislation, also called the Fairness Act, in 2020.[80]
Environmental policy
According to the Charleston Gazette–Mail, Justice has equivocated on the scientific consensus on global warming. In a 2016 interview with the paper, he said: "There's documentation that would give one concern, and I don't think you should ignore that. At the same time, I think there's an awful lot of research that still should be done . . . I surely wouldn't sit here and say I am a believer in global warming, but I wouldn't sit here and say that I am not concerned."[12]
At the beginning of his second term as governor, Justice said he was a believer in alternative energy, pointing to his welcoming of Clearway Energy Group to begin construction of a wind farm, which will increase state wind power by 15%.[48][81] But he added, "it is frivolous for us to think that today our nation can go forward without coal or without gas. There will be a day we transition away from fossil fuels. But I frankly don't believe that it is now."[48]
Despite being one of the poorest states in the nation, West Virginia was, early on, second only to Alaska in vaccine distribution for COVID-19. Since then, it has lagged behind the rest of the nation, ranking 40th in percentage of the population covered as of May 6, 2020.[82][83] Justice encouraged West Virginians to get vaccinated with the slogan "Do It for Babydog", referring to his dog.[84]
Personal life
Jim Justice with Babydog, his pet bulldog that often accompanies him
Justice lives in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He was sued about his residency by former state house assistant minority whip Isaac Sponaugle on the basis that Justice did not live in the West Virginia Governor's Mansion in Charleston. The state constitution requires the governor to "reside at the seat of government", Charleston. The lawsuit was eventually put before the West Virginia State Supreme Court, which denied a motion for a writ of prohibition. Chief Justice Evan Jenkins defined "reside" in terms of statewide officeholders. On March 2, Justice resolved the lawsuit, agreeing to reside in Charleston and paying Sponaugle's legal fees.[90]
Since 1992, Justice has been president of Beckley Little League.[92]
Justice has been the girls' basketball coach at Greenbrier East High School in Fairlea, West Virginia, since 2003, winning the state championship in 2012. In 2011, he also became the head coach of the boys' basketball teams, a position from which he stepped down in 2017.[93][94] He was the only coach at the AAA level (the state's largest classification) to coach both the girls' and boys' basketball teams. Justice said that though he would put his business interests in a blind trust upon becoming governor, he would still coach basketball.[95][96] He coached the girls' team through his two terms as governor and is considering continuing to coach if he is elected to the U.S. Senate.[97]
Electoral history
2016 West Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary[98]
^Houvouras, Jack (Winter 2010). "HQ&A with Jim Justice". Huntington Quarterly. Huntington, WV: HQ Publishing. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
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