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As your state government reporter based in the State Capitol Building in Charleston, I cover the West Virginia Legislature, but I do not cover individual legislative races. My focus is covering statewide state and congressional races.
There are just too many House of Delegates and state Senate seats for one person to cover one-on-one. Your local newspaper is better capable of covering individual legislative seats. But I do enjoy doing analysis of legislative seats.
Naturally, all of the media attention is on the Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, governor, and even some of the Board of Public Works races. As I said last week, I'm not sure people are really that engaged in the two U.S. House of Representatives races, and at this point, the only Board of Public Works race with any real drama is the GOP primary for secretary of state.
But don't snooze on the Legislature, especially the Republican primaries. While I don't immediately foresee a significant change in the supermajorities Republicans control in the House and state Senate, certainly who wins in the primaries and the types of politics those candidates represent could decide the direction of the Legislature -- at least until the next elections in 2026.
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The House of Delegates will see the most changes after the 2024 primary and general election, with a batch of new faces coming. By my count, 16 incumbents are not returning to the 100-member House, including three of the 11 Democratic members.
The leadership team of House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, will see the most changes. House Majority Leader Eric Householder, R-Berkeley, is running for State Auditor. House Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson, is running for state Senate.
Committee leadership will also see changes. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Tom Fast, R-Fayette, is running for circuit court. House Finance Committee Vice Chairman John Hardy is running for Berkeley County Commission. House Health and Human Resources Committee Chairwoman Amy Summers is retiring. And House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ty Nestor is running for circuit judge.
Here is the full list of those House members not coming back: Steve Westfall, R-Jackson; Geoff Foster, R-Putnam; Ric Griffith, D-Wayne; Mark Ross, R-Wayne; Todd Kirby, R-Raleigh; Todd Longanacre, R-Greenbrier; Tom Fast, R-Fayette; Larry Rowe, D-Kanawha; Chris Pritt, R-Kanawha; Ty Nestor, R-Randolph; Amy Summers, R-Taylor; Joey Garcia, D-Marion; Debbie Warner, R-Monongalia; Eric Householder, R-Berkeley; John Hardy, R-Berkeley; Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson.
And that total doesn't include the eight members of the House who resigned in 2023, replaced by gubernatorial appointments. Some of those might win their first elections this year, but some won't. So, it's theoretically possible that nearly a quarter of the 100-member House of Delegates could be fresh faces.
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Over in the 34-member state Senate, 17 seats are up for grabs with only three seats open due to retiring politicos: Bob Plymale, D-Wayne; David "Bugs" Stover, R-Wyoming; and Mike Caputo, D-Marion.
There are only three Democratic lawmakers in the Senate. Caputo's seat will remain in Democratic hands with healthcare executive Johnathan Board leaving the campaign trail to run the West Virginia First Foundation, leaving Del. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, as the lone candidate in that district. Stover's district has been in Republican hands since Daniel Hall switched parties and flipped the Senate to GOP control in 2015.
The only seat that could potentially flip is Plymale's seat. While Cabell County includes Huntington which leans Democratic, the rural areas of Cabell and Wayne counties lean red. But Del. Ric Griffith, D-Wayne, is running for the seat. Despite being a Democratic lawmaker, he is a community pharmacist, former mayor of Kenova, and the creator of the popular Pumpkin House. He is a well-liked person in the area and that could help him prevail.
Other Senate races to watch include seven contested Republican primaries where incumbents are being challenged by candidates even further to the right than they are. That includes Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, who has two challengers: former delegate and perennial candidate for office Mike Folk, and West Virginia National Guard Lt. Col. Tom Willis. While being senate president has its advantages, don't forget that Blair's predecessor at the president's podium -- Mitch Carmichael -- lost a primary in 2020.
In the 2nd Senatorial District, Senate Health and Human Resources Committee Chairman Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, is being challenged by Chris Rose. If that name sounds vaguely familiar, he was a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. But he dropped out and it appears that U.S. Rep. and GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Alex Mooney is openly supporting Rose in his state Senate race. Wonder how that came to happen?
The 2nd District race is an example of a moderate conservative incumbent being challenged by a fringe right candidate. In the 11th Senatorial District, the opposite is happening with state Sen. Robert Karnes, R-Randolph, being challenged by Randolph County Development Authority Executive Director Robbie Morris.
Morris is involved with many economic development groups, including the Corridor H Highway Authority, the West Virginia Broadband Enhancement Council, the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce, and the WV Hardwood Alliance Zone among others. Karnes has constantly been a thorn to the right side of the Senate Republican caucus. And considering Karnes was defeated in the 2018 primary by current state Sen. Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur, he certainly can be beat again by a chamber of commerce-style Republican.
I'd also keep an eye on the 16th Senatorial District, where state Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, is being challenged by House Speaker Pro Tempore Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson. With both the Karnes/Rucker races, you are seeing challenges from candidates more focused on economic issues versus the incumbents who are more focused on social conservative issues and opposed to the state's current philosophy on economic development.
The GOP faction that wins more seats in the Senate in 2024 will decide what priorities the Legislature chooses to focus on in future sessions.