CHARLESTON — A political committee linked to Huntington businessman and Republican candidate for governor of West Virginia Chris Miller is dropping more than $1 million to go after Attorney General and fellow GOP candidate for governor Patrick Morrisey after weeks of attacks from pro-Morrisey groups.

West Virginia Forward, an independent expenditure committee chaired by Matt F. Miller, Chris Miller’s father and husband of U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va., is spending more than $1.4 million on ads opposing Morrisey, according to an independent expenditure report filed with the West Virginia Secretary of State Tuesday.

According to State Code, an independent expenditure is made by a person, a political action committee, a corporation or executive committee that advocates for or against a specific candidate. Independent expenditure committees are not allowed to coordinate with other candidates or committees or can they donate to candidates. No limits are on how much these committees are allowed to receive through campaign contributions, though the committees have additional reporting requirements.

According to West Virginia Forward’s most recent quarterly campaign finance report, the committee received $222,500 between October and November of last year and $352,500 in the election year-to-date. The committee had more than $330,000 in cash-on-hand. Its largest donation came from BC Holdings LLC, associated with Bill Cole, a former Senate president and Bluefield businessman.

Chris Miller, the first Republican to enter the Republican race for governor at the end of 2021, has begun surging in the most recent polling after spending most of his time in 2023 bouncing between third and fourth along with Secretary of State Mac Warner.

According to a poll conducted between March 19 and March 21 by Emerson College Polling and Nexstar Media, 33% of respondents said they would support Morrisey if the primary were held today, with 16% supporting Miller, 14% supporting former House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore Capito, 6% supporting Warner and 29% undecided.