Our state deserves leaders who listen more than they lecture — who unite, not divide. As a compassionate, constitutional conservative and libertarian-minded Republican, I believe in personal freedom, strong communities, and responsible government. Below are the core issues I’ll champion to move West Virginia forward.
West Virginians deserve opportunity close to home. I will cut unnecessary regulation, expand vocational training and apprenticeships, and incentivize manufacturers to invest in our state so we can grow good jobs in our own communities.
Smart state policy can create real, durable opportunity to create jobs and increase our manufacturing sector. I will fight to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back to our state by cutting needless red tape, investing in apprenticeships and technical training, upgrading infrastructure, and helping local firms compete in global supply chains.
I believe we must rebuild and modernize our industrial base, especially in rural and distressed counties. That means:
- Streamlining permitting and licensing to shorten the time from startup to production
- Offering targeted tax and infrastructure incentives (roads, broadband, power) for manufacturing investment
- Partnering with community colleges and technical schools to ensure a pipeline of skilled workers
- Promoting “made in West Virginia” supply chains, especially in energy production, advanced manufacturing, lumber, and niche industries
By doing so, we can keep more of our young people at home and attract new investment.
Strong public schools are the foundation of opportunity — but parents should have real, accountable options when their local school isn’t meeting a child’s needs. I support expanding responsible school-choice tools paired with clear accountability and full funding for quality public education so every child can thrive.
Every child in West Virginia should have access to a quality education, regardless of ZIP code. I support school choice options in a way that holds all schools accountable and protects core funding for public education.
Many districts contend with limited resources and socioeconomic challenges.
My approach:
- Attract and incentivize highly qualified teachers, and empower them to achieve improved student success rates by removing burdensome regulations that stifle innovation — teachers deserve our respect, trust and full support
- Expand and fine-tune the Hope Scholarship program gradually, ensuring more families can access it without harming the baseline public school funding
- Support high-quality charter schools and innovation zones in struggling districts
- Require strong accountability — performance metrics, transparency, audits — so taxpayers know they’re getting value
- Strengthen vocational and technical pathways in high schools to connect education with local jobs
- Provide extra support (e.g. tutoring, wraparound services) for students in high-poverty or underperforming schools
This balanced approach gives fairness alongside prudent stewardship of public education.
West Virginia helped power America for generations, and we can continue to lead by embracing an all-of-the-above strategy — supporting coal, natural gas, and nuclear while investing in next-generation energy like solar, wind, and geothermal. Reliable, affordable energy should never be a partisan issue.
A common-sense energy plan doesn’t pick winners and losers — it builds security, jobs, and innovation. My “all-of-the-above” approach includes:
- Protecting coal and natural gas jobs by pushing back on overreaching federal regulations, streamlining permitting, and ensuring a fair role for fossil energy in our grid.
- Expanding carbon capture, clean-coal, and advanced gas technologies so our fossil fuels remain competitive in a lower-emissions future.
- Exploring small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) — safe, scalable, next-generation nuclear that can repower retired coal sites, protect grid reliability, and create high-paying technical jobs.
- Encouraging renewables where they make sense — small-scale solar, wind, and geothermal projects that lower costs and complement baseload energy, not replace it.
- Investing in infrastructure — pipelines, transmission lines, and storage — to deliver energy safely and efficiently.
Energy independence strengthens our national security, lowers costs for families, and ensures that West Virginia continues to power America while protecting our environment.
Our mountains, rivers, and forests are treasures — not partisan talking points. I support balanced environmental stewardship that protects our natural resources, holds polluters accountable, and encourages responsible development and recreation.
West Virginians don’t need to be told to care about the environment — we live in it. From the Monongahela National Forest to the New River Gorge National Park, our state’s beauty is a gift and a responsibility.
I believe good environmental policy balances preservation with progress. That means:
- Holding industry accountable for pollution, spills, and reclamation — without burdening responsible operators with endless red tape.
- Expanding conservation partnerships between private landowners, farmers, hunters, and conservation groups to protect wildlife, soil, and water quality.
- Supporting clean air and water initiatives that use incentives and technology rather than heavy-handed mandates.
- Investing in reclamation and cleanup of abandoned mine lands and brownfields — restoring communities while creating jobs.
- Promoting outdoor recreation and tourism, which already generates billions annually in economic impact across Appalachia.
Environmental stewardship is not anti-industry — it’s pro-West Virginia. We can protect our land, create jobs, and preserve the wild beauty that defines our state.
Inflation remains a real cost for families, so policy should focus on increasing supply, reducing regulatory costs, and improving tax competitiveness. I will tackle inflation and lower the tax burden through fiscal restraint, targeted relief for families hit hardest by rising prices, and pro-growth tax reforms to make our state more competitive for workers and small businesses.
Families in West Virginia are suffering under price pressures and government overreach. I will fight to restrain spending, target relief to lower- and middle-income households, and reform state taxes to make us more competitive.
Inflation continues to erode household budgets nationwide, and state residents feel it especially in essentials like food, energy, healthcare, and housing. While state policy cannot alone control macro inflation, we can act locally.
My plan for West Virginia:
- Enforce strict state budget discipline — curtail unnecessary growth and eliminate waste
- Deliver targeted relief (e.g. energy credits, property tax rebates, food or heating assistance) for low- and moderate-income households — not across-the-board giveaways
- Reform the state tax code to reduce rates on income, sales, and business activity and inventory, and simplify compliance to attract investment
- Incentivize increased supply in key areas (housing, broadband, rural economic development) to mitigate cost pressures locally
- Oppose new broad-based taxes and unnecessary fees that disproportionately hurt working families
Together, these measures can ease the burden on West Virginians, boost our state’s economic competitiveness, and ensure more of your paycheck stays in your pocket.
Compassionately, I support a safety net that lifts people into work and dignity — not dependency. We should protect proven anti-poverty programs, strengthen work and training pathways, and pursue entitlement reforms that preserve help for those in need while keeping budgets sustainable for future generations.
West Virginia’s poverty remains stubbornly high. In 2023, our official poverty rate was 16.7 %, down slightly from 17.9 %, but still well above the national rate (11.1 %). That’s over 285,000 people living in poverty, including nearly 70,000 children. Many counties face multi-generation economic distress.
I believe we need to reshape, not dismantle, the safety net:
- Preserve core programs (food assistance, Medicaid safety net, child support, elderly care) for those truly unable to work.
- Strengthen work and training incentives — require able-bodied adults (with supports) to engage in job training, community service, apprenticeship, or job search after a reasonable period.
- Expand transitional supports (child care, transportation, internet access) so people can move from aid to work without falling off a cliff.
- Target state-level reforms (e.g. eligibility review, fraud reduction, outcome measurement) to ensure efficacy and sustainability.
- Leverage public/private partnerships — connect non-profits, faith organizations, local employers, and community colleges to wrap around families with mentoring, upskilling, and job placement.
In this way, we show compassion without enabling dependency, and we preserve resources so we can sustain help for future West Virginians.
Healthcare shouldn’t be partisan or profit-driven. I will fight to expand access to affordable care — especially in rural areas — by supporting community health centers, lowering prescription costs, and promoting wellness and prevention.
West Virginia faces serious health challenges — we have among the highest rates of chronic illness, obesity, and substance abuse in the country, and more than one in five residents are 65 or older. Rural hospitals and clinics continue to close or struggle financially, leaving many communities without reliable care.
We can’t fix this with bureaucracy or political slogans. We need practical, patient-centered solutions:
- Strengthen rural and community healthcare — expand telehealth coverage, support local clinics, and ensure fair reimbursement rates for small providers.
- Encourage innovation and competition — make it easier for private practices, nurse practitioners, and mobile clinics to operate where big hospital systems can’t.
- Tackle prescription drug costs by promoting price transparency and cracking down on middlemen (PBMs) who drive up costs.
- Invest in preventive health — nutrition, fitness, mental health, addiction recovery, and early intervention to reduce hospitalizations and save lives.
- Protect patient freedom — including the right to choose doctors, plans, and treatments without unnecessary government interference.
Healthy people build a healthy state. My focus is on outcomes, not politics — ensuring that every West Virginian, in every county, can access quality, affordable care and live a full, productive life.