REPORT: Jim Justice’s West Virginia Had Worst Economic Growth in the Country

Real GDP Increased in Every State But West Virginia 

A new report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that every single state in the country experienced economic growth in the third quarter of 2018. Well actually, it was every single state but one: West Virginia. That’s right, the state experienced no economic growth in the quarter, lagging behind every one of its neighbors by at least two percent.
That’s bad news for Republican Gov. Jim Justice. For a governor who thinks he deserves to be reelected, the bad economic news sure is piling up. At the end of 2018, West Virginia’s unemployment rate ranked third worst in the country. It was also just one of two states in 2017 to have its poverty rate increase. And based on the non-existent growth in this new report, there’s no reason to think Justice has done anything to fix the problem.
“With the worst economy in the country, how can Governor Jim Justice possibly ask West Virginians to reelect him?” said DGA Communications Director David Turner. “Under his failed leadership, poverty is up, unemployment remains high, and economic growth is non-existent. Justice has failed to bring jobs to West Virginia, so maybe it’s time he loses his.”