In an email to members of the West Virginia Republican Executive Committee (WVREC) Saturday, Herridge said he will resign as party chairman effective Saturday, July 26, upon the election of a new chair during the state Republican Executive Committee Summer meeting in Morgantown.

“Serving as chairman over the past 18 months has been an extraordinary honor,” Herridge wrote. “I am confident this executive committee will wisely select a new chairman who will continue our momentum.”

The party selected Herridge as its chairman during its January 2024 winter meeting in Charleston, succeeding Wheeling attorney Elgine McArdle. He had previously served as finance chairman of the party. 

Herridge guided the party through the 2024 election cycle, which saw growth in voter registration, further GOP gains in the Legislature and an all-Republican congressional delegation.

Photo courtesy/WV Legislative Photography  Delegate Josh Holstein, R-Boone, was among the first to throw his hat in the ring over the weekend to succeed Matt Herridge as chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party.

“Ours is now the most solidly Republican state in the nation, thanks in parts to a very successful 2024 cycle, including over $1 million raised, increased supermajorities in both legislative chambers, full control of all Board of Public Works offices and congressional seats and a striking 70% vote share for President Trump, who carried all 55 counties,” Herridge wrote. “Republicans hold a plurality of registered voters in 48 of our 55 counties, which is a testament to our growing mandate.”

 In his letter, Herridge said he will instead focus on his duties with the Department of Commerce, which recently saw the Department of Economic Development absorbed back into the Commerce Department. Herridge also said he delayed his resignation until a new executive director for the state party could be hired.

“When I accepted the role of West Virginia Secretary of Commerce in January, I made a commitment to ensure continuity within the party and delay stepping aside until we could welcome a new executive director and begin steering the ship toward the midterm election,” Herridge wrote. “Ryan Jacinto has now joined us as executive director, bringing the leadership, dedication, and energy we need to continue our successes.”

Shortly after taking office in January, Gov. Patrick Morrisey appointed Herridge as cabinet secretary for the Department of Commerce. Herridge, a businessman who had a restaurant portfolio that included multiple Burger King and Qdoba franchises, as well as a software company that provided services to the restaurant industry. After selling most of his holdings, Herridge still operates three Qdoba restaurants and leases his other properties.

Herridge also spent years working in clinical psychology at the Charleston Area Medical Center and as a member of the faculty at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. He was chairman of the government relations committee for Burger King and its political action committee.

During the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers approved a bill recommended by Morrisey to re-combine the Department of Economic Development as a division in the Department of Commerce. Formerly known as the West Virginia Development Office, former Gov. Jim Justice and the Legislature split off the office from Commerce in 2021, making it its own cabinet-level department 

“As of July 1, the Division of Economic Development — which includes the Offices of Energy, Broadband, Community Advancement & Development, and the Small Business Development Center — was formally added to the Department of Commerce,” Herridge wrote. “This significant department expansion underscores the confidence that the Legislature and governor have placed in me, and as I take on this unique responsibility, I must dedicate my full attention to this critical mission.”

The selection of a replacement state party chairman for Herridge will take place during the annual summer meeting of the party as a special election to fill Herridge’s unexpired term. Some are already jockeying for the position, such as Delegate Josh Holstein, R-Boone. Holstein sent a letter to party members over the weekend. 

“After being informed of Matt’s decision and having discussions with committee members and elected officials, I have decided that now is the time for me to take the next step in serving our Party,” Holstein wrote. “Therefore, I am announcing my candidacy to serve as our next chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party.”

Holstein, 22, was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2020 and is in his third two-year term. He serves as vice chairman of the House Legal Services Subcommittee and is a member of the House Energy and Public Works Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. He is a 2022 graduate of Marshall University

Justice, now West Virginia’s junior U.S. senator, endorsed Holstein in a social media post Saturday.

“I am proud to endorse and support Josh Holstein for West Virginia GOP Chair,” Justice said. “Josh is a true conservative, born and raised right here in the Mountain State. Josh knows our values, our people, and how to win.”