Republican state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was elected to his first term in office after defeating Democratic Huntington mayor Steve Williams in the general election.

[1] Incumbent Republican Jim Justice was term-limited and was unable to seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office; he instead ran for the U.S.

In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump carried West Virginia by 38.93 percentage points.

With Jim Justice term-limited and unable to run for a third consecutive term as Governor, the Republican primary was expected to be competitive and crowded.

Most analysts considered Republicans to be a heavy favorite, given the state's partisan lean and the margin from the previous election.