Jim Justice
Bio | Jim Justice is a businessman who has worked in the agricultural and coal industries. He is a graduate of Marshall College. |
Status and Position | Current Governor of West Virginia |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Republican, West Virginia |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 Governor Election West Virginia | West Virginia | Yes | Running | 53.0% |
Campaign Financing | Justice has raised almost $2.5 million for his campaign. Top contributors include the West Virginia Coal Association and Murray Energy Corporation. |
Voting Rights | He does not have an explicit stance on voting rights. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | For | Justice is a supporter of prioritizing health care coverage. Although he is a conservative, the governor is committed to making sure those with pre-existing conditions have healthcare insurance. He does not see a need to repeal Obamacare. |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | He is a proponent of Medicaid expansion. |
| Private Healthcare | Unknown | He has not taken a position on this issue. |
| LGBT Rights | For | He is a supporter of the LGBT community. Justice has stated that he respects the Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage. He has opposed bills that allow businesses to discriminate against LGBT people based on their religious practices. |
| Taxes | Nuance | He has a varied opinion on tax reform. Justice sees the need to increase taxes in some areas such as gas in order to close the budget deficit. However, he believes that, in the long-term, government should limit its intervention. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | He opposes a flat tax rate. Justice sees the need to increase taxes in some areas such as gas in order to close the budget deficit. However, he believes that, in the long-term, government should limit its intervention. |
| Abortion | Against | He is pro-life. Justice believes in the sanctity of life. However, he says that he is willing to accept the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion. |
| Gun Control | Against | He opposes gun control. Justice stands by the Second Amendment. He would like to limit restrictions on gun ownership. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | His position on assisted suicide is unclear. Justice stands by the Second Amendment. He would like to limit restrictions on gun ownership. |
| Government Interference | Nuance | He has a widely varied opinion on government interference. |
| Planned Parenthood | Against | He is pro-life. |
| Welfare | Unknown | His stance on this issue is unknown. N/A |
| Welfare | Unknown | He has not voted on legislation related to stem cell research. |
| Death Penalty | Unknown | He does not have a stance on the death penalty. N/A |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Unknown | He has not developed a stance on this issue. |
| Military Spending | For | Justice would like to increase funding to programs for veterans. |
| War on Terrorism | Unknown | He has not made a statement on the War on Terrorism. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | Against | He does not necessarily support free trade. Justice is a proponent of fair trade. He supports imposing tariffs to balance trade. |
| United Nations power | Unknown | He does not have an explicit opinion on the legitimacy of the United Nations. |
| Nationalism | For | Justice would like to maintain traditional American values. |
| Free Markets | For | He is supportive of free markets. Justice generally maintains a fiscally conservative stance towards government intervention in the free market. However, he does acknowledge that some government interference is necessary in the free market to balance the budget. |
| Brexit | Unknown | He does not have an opinion on Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | Unknown | He does not have a position on affirmative action. |
| Government Spending | Nuance | Justice supports government spending only in some instances. |
| Charter Schools | For | He has signed legislation that helps pave the way for charter schools in West Virginia. |
| Common Core | Against | He stands against Common Core standards. Justice does not believe in top-down approaches to education standards. He signed a bill that effectively banned Common Core from West Virginia. |
| Clean Energy | Against | He does not support clean energy. In respect to his positions on energy, he generally proposes coal-based solutions. In addition, he has criticized regulations imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency for being too overbearing. |
| Religious Freedom | Against | He is opposed to religious freedom. Justice has prioritized LGBT rights over religious freedom. He criticized the Freedom Restoration Act which allows businesses to turn away LGBT people based on their religious practices. |
| Separation of Church and State | For | He is a proponent of the separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | He does not have a stance on reparations. |
| Border Control | For | He is a proponent of increased border security. Justice is contemptuous of Democrats' resignation towards border security. He maintains that immigration reform is futile without first securing our borders. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He has not taken a stance on passenger profiling. |
| DACA | Unknown | He has not yet expressed an explicit stance on DACA. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Against | He denounces sanctuary cities. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | Against | He does not support the legalization of marijuana. |