Rachael Hawkins-Church is the Democratic candidate for West Virginia House of Delegates District 35. She is from Pineville in Wyoming County and has worked in several different fields. Hawkins-Church graduated from Pineville High School and previously worked as a radio DJ and programming manager for a local station, where she became known as ?The Mouth of the South.? She has also worked in medical transcription and currently works at a local arcade. She entered the 2026 race after becoming involved with the Wyoming County Democratic Executive Committee. Hawkins-Church won the Democratic nomination for District 35 with 607 votes in the May primary. She will face Republican John Morgan in the November general election. Morgan won the Republican primary over Gregory Bishop. Her campaign has focused on issues including clean water, labor laws and anti-camping laws. She has also talked about the need for Wyoming County to develop economic opportunities beyond coal. Her family has ties to the coal industry, and she has said she has seen the effects of the industry’s decline on local residents.