General Election in November: We Need to Support Candidates in November

By Karen Williams

The May West Virginia State Primary is over and nonpartisan candidates have been elected. Magistrates, judges, and school boards are now in place for to serve new terms. We trust that people have been elected that have our best interest represented. 

Many questions arise after the votes are counted such as: 

— Do we as a minority community see people who represent our concerns now in office? 

— Did we show up to the polls and vote? 

— Did we help to elect any minority candidates? 

— Are we going to hold our newly elected officials accountable to serve minority and unserved communities?

Throughout West Virginia minority candidates have finished primary races successfully and are now running in the General Election.

Statewide: House of Delegate candidates

— Hollis Lewis (D-Kanawha, 57), incumbent

— Anitra Hamilton (D-Monongalia, 81), incumbent

— Sean Hornbuckle (D-Cabell, 23), incumbent

— Thomas Jones (D-Preston, 52)

— Tony Martin (D-Webster, 44)

— Osmund Anderson (D-Jefferson, 99 )

Statewide: Auditor

— Mary Ann Roebuck Claytor – State Auditor

City Council Candiates

Around the state several minorities won their primaries and are now running for city and county offices in several cities.

— In Huntington, incumbents, DuRon Jackson is running for City Council at Large, and Teresa Johnson is running for District 5

— Gregory Epps is running for City Council in Star City, West Virginia

— Connie Cain is running for City Council in Wheeling’s Ward 3

— Janine “Fee Fee” Bullock is an incumbent running for City Council Beckley’s Ward 5

— Mark Jackson is running forCity Council in Clarksburg

Magistrates

Several candidates in the Eastern Panhandle won their nonpartisan races and are now seated as Magistrates: 

— William “Bill” Norris – Berkeley County

— Michelle Barnes Russell – Berkeley County

— Arthena Roper – Jefferson County

Candidates who are well endowed financially are elected and common people in minority communities may not have the fiscal resources to compete. 

The major questions that I have include: 

— Where do we go from here and what do we have to lose? 

— How can minority communities gain political representation in government to present our concerns and have a voice in the improvement of social issues that plaque our community. Social issues like poverty, school suspension, health disparities, slum and blight, educational concerns, environmental inequity, and trauma. 

— Together we need to educate our community on political candidates, engage our communities on the political process, and donate to candidates with our time, talents and money to help minority candidates to be successful in their political races.

The General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. 

We need to create candidate forums, make calls to promote candidates, text friends and family with names, schedule Stroll and Soar to the Polls, and take your friends, family, church members to the poll to vote.