Vernon Criss is the incumbent delegate representing House District 12 in Wood County and currently serves as chairman of the House Finance Committee, one of the Legislature’s major budget writing committees. He graduated from Parkersburg High School and West Virginia Wesleyan College and lists his occupation as an executive.
Criss has a lengthy history in the House. He was first appointed to the Legislature in 1987, was elected in 1988 and later returned to the House in 2016. Before becoming Finance Committee chairman, he served as vice chairman of both the Banking and Finance committees.
His 2026 campaign has taken an unusual path. Criss sought another term but lost the May Republican primary to Charles Hartzog, 688 votes to 422. Gov. Patrick Morrisey had backed Hartzog and actively campaigned against Criss after the two disagreed over budget and education-policy issues. In August, Criss filed with the Secretary of State to become an official write-in candidate for the November general election.