John B. McCuskey
2017 - Present
2025
7
John B. McCuskey (Republican Party) (also known as JB) is the West Virginia State Auditor. He assumed office on January 16, 2017. His current term ends on January 13, 2025.
McCuskey (Republican Party) ran for election for Attorney General of West Virginia. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
McCuskey also ran for election for Governor of West Virginia. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on May 14, 2024.
McCuskey is a former Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 35, from 2012 to 2016. He did not seek re-election to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2016 in order to run for state auditor.
Biography
John McCuskey is from Charleston, West Virginia. McCuskey earned a bachelor's degree in political communication from The George Washington University and a law degree from West Virginia University College of Law. His career experience includes working for the General Counsels of Department of Defense in the Pentagon and running Steptoe & Johnson, PLLC, a private practice specializing in energy litigation.[1]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, McCuskey served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Banking and Insurance, Chair, Insurance |
| • Energy |
| • Industry and Labor |
| • Judiciary |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, McCuskey served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Political Subdivisions |
| • Banking and Insurance |
| • Joint Judiciary |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia Attorney General election, 2024
General election
General election for Attorney General of West Virginia
John B. McCuskey defeated Teresa Toriseva in the general election for Attorney General of West Virginia on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | John B. McCuskey (R) | 70.8 | 435,826 | |
| Teresa Toriseva (D) | 29.2 | 180,173 | ||
| Total votes: 615,999 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Attorney General of West Virginia
Teresa Toriseva defeated Richie Robb in the Democratic primary for Attorney General of West Virginia on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Teresa Toriseva | 52.7 | 50,480 | |
| Richie Robb | 47.3 | 45,356 | ||
| Total votes: 95,836 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for Attorney General of West Virginia
John B. McCuskey defeated Mike Stuart in the Republican primary for Attorney General of West Virginia on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | John B. McCuskey | 59.8 | 117,263 | |
| Mike Stuart | 40.2 | 78,745 | ||
| Total votes: 196,008 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ryan Weld (R)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McCuskey in this election.
2020
See also: West Virginia Auditor election, 2020
General election
General election for West Virginia State Auditor
Incumbent John B. McCuskey defeated Mary Ann Claytor in the general election for West Virginia State Auditor on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | John B. McCuskey (R) | 67.0 | 496,845 | |
| Mary Ann Claytor (D) | 33.0 | 244,427 | ||
| Total votes: 741,272 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia State Auditor
Mary Ann Claytor advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Auditor on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Mary Ann Claytor | 100.0 | 161,237 | |
| Total votes: 161,237 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Auditor
Incumbent John B. McCuskey advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia State Auditor on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | John B. McCuskey | 100.0 | 172,441 | |
| Total votes: 172,441 | ||||
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2016
- See also: West Virginia Auditor election, 2016
McCuskey filed to run as a Republican candidate for state auditor of West Virginia in 2016. He was unopposed for the Republican nomination. He competed with Mary Ann Claytor (D), who won her party's nomination in the May 10 primary election, and Brenton Ricketts (Lib.) in the November 8 general election.
General election results
John B. McCuskey defeated Mary Ann Claytor and Brenton Ricketts in the West Virginia auditor election.
| West Virginia Auditor, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  John B. McCuskey |
58.48% | 385,831 | |
| Democratic | Mary Ann Claytor | 34.56% | 228,001 | |
| Libertarian | Brenton Ricketts | 6.96% | 45,908 | |
| Total Votes | 659,740 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election results
John B. McCuskey ran unopposed in the Republican primary for auditor.
| Republican primary for Auditor, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| John B. McCuskey (unopposed) |
100.00% | 149,793 |
| Total Votes (1,745 of 1,745 precincts reporting) | 149,793 | |
| Source: MetroNews | ||
2014
Elections for the West Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 13, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 25, 2014. District 35 is represented by four delegates. Andrew Byrd, Thornton Cooper, Barbara Hatfield and Sherri Wong defeated John Caudill, IV, David Harless, Bret Nida, Joe Wallace and Gary Winter in the Democratic primary. Incumbents J.B. McCuskey, Eric Nelson, and Suzette Raines and Chris Stansbury defeated Richard McGinnis and Marie Sprouse-McDavid in the Republican primary. Byrd, McCuskey, Nelson, and Stansbury defeated Cooper, Hatfield, Wong, and Sprouse-McDavid in the general election. Raines withdrew from the race due to personal reasons and allegations from Democrats.[2] She was replaced by Sprouse-McDavid on the general election ballot.[3][4]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Eric Nelson Incumbent |
15.7% | 11,050 | |
| Republican | J.B. McCuskey Incumbent |
14.3% | 10,013 | |
| Republican | Chris Stansbury |
12.7% | 8,897 | |
| Democratic | Andrew Byrd |
12.6% | 8,852 | |
| Republican | Marie Sprouse-McDavid | 12% | 8,436 | |
| Democratic | Bobbie Hatfield | 12% | 8,401 | |
| Democratic | Sherri Wong | 11.4% | 8,039 | |
| Democratic | Thornton Cooper | 9.3% | 6,548 | |
| Total Votes | 70,236 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Bobbie Hatfield |
21.2% | 3,601 |
| Andrew Byrd |
14.8% | 2,510 |
| Sherri Wong |
14.3% | 2,435 |
| Thornton Cooper |
13.1% | 2,232 |
| John Caudill, IV | 11.6% | 1,976 |
| Bret Nida | 9% | 1,539 |
| Gary Winter | 6.5% | 1,114 |
| David Harless | 5% | 851 |
| Joe Wallace | 4.4% | 753 |
| Total Votes | 17,011 | |
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Eric Nelson Incumbent |
24.9% | 2,952 |
| Suzette Raines Incumbent |
21.6% | 2,563 |
| J.B. McCuskey Incumbent |
20.6% | 2,445 |
| Chris Stansbury |
15.1% | 1,789 |
| Marie Sprouse-McDavid | 10.8% | 1,285 |
| Richard McGinnis | 6.9% | 819 |
| Total Votes | 11,853 | |
2012
McCuskey won election in the 2012 election for West Virginia House of Delegates, District 35. McCuskey advanced past the May 8 primary election and won election in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[5][6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Doug Skaff Incumbent |
15.8% | 14,891 | |
| Republican | Suzette Raines |
14.5% | 13,676 | |
| Republican | Eric Nelson Incumbent |
14.2% | 13,397 | |
| Republican | John Mccuskey |
12% | 11,325 | |
| Democratic | Bobbie Hatfield Incumbent | 12% | 11,284 | |
| Democratic | Bonnie Brown Incumbent | 11.8% | 11,097 | |
| Democratic | Chris Morris | 10.4% | 9,792 | |
| Republican | Fred Joseph | 9.2% | 8,638 | |
| Total Votes | 94,100 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Eric Nelson Incumbent |
18.5% | 2,606 |
| Suzette Raines |
18.2% | 2,561 |
| John B. Mccuskey |
14% | 1,969 |
| Fred Joseph |
12.2% | 1,725 |
| Ann Calvert | 11.6% | 1,630 |
| Matt Kelly | 7.1% | 1,003 |
| Todd Carden | 5.8% | 811 |
| Michael A. Young | 5.3% | 752 |
| Micah Phelps | 4.7% | 665 |
| Elias Gregory | 2.6% | 368 |
| Total Votes | 14,090 | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John B. McCuskey did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign website
McCuskey’s campaign website stated the following:
| “ |
Communities & Safety The Mountain State is one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family. For more than a decade, J.B. McCuskey has been serving West Virginians, working with mayors, commissioners, and other leaders to reduce blight and make our cities and towns more attractive to families and businesses. As State Auditor, McCuskey served as West Virginia’s Land Commissioner and helped secure funding to demolish dilapidated buildings in the state. As Attorney General, McCuskey will continue to ensure that our communities are safe and that West Virginia continues to thrive. Government Transparency AND ENDING CORRUPTION Energy & Coal We have the resources and manpower to be able to produce affordable, domestic energy right here in West Virginia. We need elected officials who want to invest in the future of West Virginia and energy independence, and put an end to the overreach and overregulation from Washington’s elite. McCuskey supports the coal miners and their families who have dedicated their lives to powering West Virginia and America. In the House of Delegates, McCuskey sponsored legislation to improve coal mine safety. He has always been a strong voice against burdensome climate rules that harm West Virginia’s economy. AGRICULTURE LIFE Second Amendment |
” |
| —John B. McCuskey’s campaign website (2024)[9] | ||
2020
John B. McCuskey did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
McCuskey's campaign website stated that he ran for auditor in order to "get West Virginia moving forward," protect taxpayer dollars, and improve the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of the state government.[10]
2012
McCuskey's website highlighted the following campaign themes, calling them "Defining Issues:"[11]
- Create Jobs
- Promote WV’s Natural Resource Industry
- Lower Taxes
- Advance our Education System
- Control Government Spending
Issues
ESG
| Environmental, social, and corporate governance |
|---|
|
| Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. |
As auditor, McCuskey took positions in opposition to environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG), an approach to investing and corporate decision-making.
State financial officers, including treasurers, auditors, and controllers, are responsible for auditing other government offices, managing payroll, and overseeing pensions. In some states, certain SFOs are also responsible for investing state retirement and trust funds.
Opposition to SEC proposal to mandate ESG reporting (June 2022)
In June 2022, McCuskey and Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson (R) submitted a comment to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opposing a rule proposal titled the “Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.” The Pittsburgh Business Times reported the SEC rule “would become some of the first mandatory environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting requirements for U.S. companies, requiring the disclosure of climate-related risk information in registration statements and periodic reports.”[12][13]
McCuskey and Watson wrote: “The proposal goes beyond the scope of a disclosure framework to advance substantive social policy positions that exceed and are outside the legislative authority granted to the Securities and Exchange Commission.”[14]
McCuskey wrote in a separate news release that "the proposed rule by the SEC will unnecessarily politicize this agency, erode public confidence in the institution and will ultimately result in the creation of an impotent enforcement agency that is used as a political football by whomever is in power.”[14]
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of West Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2016
In 2016, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 12.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 14 through March 14.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 through March 10.
|
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Attorney General of West Virginia |
Officeholder West Virginia State Auditor |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ McCuskey for West Virginia State Auditor, "Meet John," accessed April 16, 2016
- ↑ Charleston Daily Mail, "Officials rule GOP can't replace Raines on ballot," August 13, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ WBOY.com, "West Virginia General Election Results November 6, 2012," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - General Election - November 6, 2012," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 8, 2012," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ John B. McCuskey’s campaign website, “Issues,” accessed September 25, 2024
- ↑ McCuskey for West Virginia State Auditor, "Meet John, accessed April 16, 2016
- ↑ McCuskey for West Virginia, "Defining issues," accessed October 17, 2012
- ↑ Pittsburgh Business Times, “SEC’s proposed ESG rule: Key takeaways for public and private companies,” December 1, 2022
- ↑ West Virginia State Auditor’s Office: Press Releases, “West Virginia State Auditor JB McCuskey Files Opposition to SEC Climate Rule,” June 27, 2022
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 West Virginia State Auditor’s Office: Press Releases, “West Virginia State Auditor JB McCuskey Files Opposition to SEC Climate Rule,” June 27, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Attorney General of West Virginia 2025 |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by Lisa Hopkins |
West Virginia State Auditor 2017-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 35 2012-2016 |
Succeeded by - |
 |
State of West Virginia Charleston (capital) |
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