WV-AG: Morrisey moves from 'Lean' to 'Likely' Republican
In increasingly red West Virginia, Morrisey remains the favorite to win a third term. In the June 9 Democratic primary, Sam Petsonk, an attorney for coal miners who previously worked as an aide to the late U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd and his appointed successor, Carte Goodwin, defeated Del. Issac Sponaugle by the narrowest of margins. Petsonk has been traveling around the state focusing on his work on black lung disease. But despite some weaknesses for Morrisey – his failed challenge in 2018 to Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, his previous career as a lobbyist, and his support for a lawsuit that would end the Affordable Care Act – the Democrat faces an uphill path to winning. Morrisey has been tying himself to Trump, who is hugely popular in the state, while casting Petsonk as too left-wing on such issues as policing and the environment. Petsonk has little time left to distance himself from the national Democratic Party, which is toxic in the state. Given the state's overall GOP strength, we're moving this race from Lean Republican to Likely Republican.
https://cookpolitical.com/analysis/governors/attorney-general/september-update-handicapping-2020-attorney-general-elections
