CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s Republican party is fracturing amid a feud over a political appointment. Some county Republicans claim Gov. Jim Justice and the state party steamrolled over them when Justice appointed a candidate to fill a state legislative seat. The seat became vacant when the newly elected Republican delegate resigned under pressure after being charged with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol in the Jan. 6 riot. The fiasco has shaken the party just weeks after it had great cause to celebrate. A red wave in the November elections gave the GOP a legislative supermajority. It also elected the first Republican in generations to represent the Wayne County district, which had long been dominated by Democrats.
