Pot, Meet Kettle: Jim Justice, Richest Person in West Virginia, Accuses Primary Challenger of Living Large
West Virginia GOP Gov. Jim Justice’s campaign released a new primary ad, “Lived Large,” accusing Justice’s primary opponent Woody Thrasher of spending big on a state-funded trip to China. This ad isn’t a good look for either candidate – Justice is the richest man in West Virginia and has been accused of using his governorship to enrich himself countless times, so this ad just makes Big Jim look desperate.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane at all the times Justice “lived large.”
Jim Justice:
- Approved $12.5 million in tax breaks for a company he is indebted to.
- Charged West Virginians $106,000 in meals and lodging at his family’s luxury resort
- Threw away $50,000 of taxpayer dollars to travel to his home in Lewisburg since he refused to live in Charleston
- Received a subsidy at his farm meant to bail out farmers struggling to stay afloat amidst the trade war.
- Proposed a tax subsidy in a plan that could have netted “his own mines millions of dollars”
- Fast-tracked legislation to benefit his businesses
Justice’s indiscretions haven’t gone unnoticed – he was ranked as the least popular incumbent facing reelection, and last year, his own party gave him a vote of no confidence. This ad against Thrasher is a sign that Justice is feeling the pressure from both sides of the aisle, and he’s getting desperate.
“It is ludicrous that Jim Justice is going after his primary opponent for spending taxpayer money on a lavish trip, when Justice is the king of using public office to enrich himself.” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Christina Amestoy. “Justice called for a special session to give himself tax breaks, charged the state over 100,000 dollars at his family’s luxury resort, and proposed a tax subsidy that would have netted his businesses millions of dollars, just to name a few. This new ad is a sign that Justice is getting desperate and feeling the pressure to prop up his weak reelection campaign.”