West Virginia Democrats lash out at Justice, party leadership

Former West Virginia Senate president and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jeff Kessler called out the party’s leadership Friday, saying it never should have recruited Gov. Jim Justice, who jumped to the Republican Party on Friday just seven months into his term.

“It’s time for a change at the top, particularly when you have someone who embraced someone who turned on the Democratic Party,” Kessler said. “They need some new leadership at the Democrat chair.”

Democratic Party Chairwoman Belinda Biafore said Justice duped her. She called Justice’s switch a “slap in the face to all of us who believed in what he was promising.” She gave no indication she would step down.

“The leadership of the West Virginia Democratic Party will continue to be committed, as we have always been, to do what’s best for the people of West Virginia,” Biafore said late Friday. “We will stand strong together and move forward. We can now say, with 100 percent certainty, that the leaders of our party will do what’s best for the people, not personal political motivations.”

Read more: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20170804/wv-democrats-lash-out-at-justice-party-leadership