Former lawmaker Doug Skaff was bit by two copperheads in May. Reporter Jack Walker caught up with him and asked what his recovery process has been like so far.
In May, former legislator Doug Skaff was taking down signs for his secretary of state campaign when he felt a sharp sensation in his foot.
One month after the incident, Jack Walker caught up with Skaff about what happened, and the status of his recovery.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Walker: Doug, can you walk us through your visit to Boone County and what led up to your snake bite?
Skaff: [The] day after Election Day, May 15, just like I do every year, I go around and start taking my campaign signs down. I ran for secretary of state, so this year I had signs all around the state. I had a lot of signs out. I take pride in putting them up myself with other people. And also I take pride in taking them down as fast as we can every year. But this is the first time I ran outside of Kanawha County. So I had some signs down Route 119 in Boone County and Danville. … I was with my eight year old son, and he was just going around taking some signs down with me wherever we could. He was out there at school that afternoon.
Walker: And that’s where you encountered the copperhead, right? What happened next?
Skaff: I go up, I grab this sign and I pull one side out. It’s a two-foot by four-foot sign, a little bigger than normal. And long story short, I felt like I tagged my shoe on some barbed wire or some glass, or just something sharp, like a nail or something. And it ripped the top of my shoe on my right baby toe of my shoe. And I didn’t see anything. I just thought I snagged it, but it kind of stung for a minute. It kind of stung and it wouldn’t go away. I was like, man, maybe I cut it on something, but then it wouldn’t go away. And then about 15 seconds I take the other side of the sign down like, “Oh man! I jammed it on some barbed wire again!” And I look down, and this time it wasn’t barbed wire of course. I see this snake, which now I know to be a copperhead. I didn’t at first know what type of snake it was because it all happened so fast, but it was a good size snake, about three inches round in diameter.
Walker: Once you realized you had been bitten by a snake, how did you react?
Skaff: So it latched on. What I did was I swung my leg around. I remember grabbing my quad, swinging my leg around and banging that snake against the shrub right there, trying to get it to fall off my leg. And so it finally did and I hobbled down about eight feet back down on the ground. I kind of scoot myself on my butt over towards my car and I lean my head back and bang on the car. My son had just gotten back in the car and he gets out. He’s eight years old. I give him my phone. I was like, “I need some help buddy, snakes, snakes!” And I said, “Don’t go over there.” He was pretty cool and collected, so he’s getting my phone from the front seat, so we call 911.
Former House Minority Leader Doug Skaff was hospitalized for seven consecutive days in May over a series of four copperhead bites.
Photo Courtesy of Doug Skaff
After being discharged from the hospital, Skaff was told to use a wheelchair or walker to manage his muscle pain.
Photo Courtesy of Doug Skaff
Walker: What did the first responders do when they got you into an ambulance?
Skaff: Within probably 25 minutes I think, we got to the ER. Then there, they quickly tried to service me and get me this anti-venom stuff. [I] forgot what it’s called, CroFab or something. I don’t remember, some anti-venom stuff. And what that does is it’s supposed to stop the spreading.
Walker: Did that work?
Skaff: It did stop the spreading that first day OK. But the morning I woke up, and it started spreading again. It started going up my knee, up my leg, through my thighs, through my quads, all the way up to my waist. Same discoloration, same burning sensation. It was the worst feeling I’ve ever felt in my life.
Walker: So how did they get the spreading under control?
Skaff: They ended up giving me six more doses of that stuff, so I had ten vials of the anti-venom.
Walker: What has your recovery process been like since then?
Skaff: This is week four, and what does it feel like now? So I’m still taking pain medicine and all that. I’ve been pushing it and walking, standing up on it, hobbling around. I’m still supposed to use a walker and wheelchair when I go long distances, but I’ve really pushed it trying to get my strength back. But it still hurts. I’m not gonna lie. I mean, my ankle is really hard right now. My muscle feels weird. And I don’t know, the top of my foot — it just feels like it swells up and goes down and swells up, and the bottom of my foot is still bruised. But they say my muscle, it can take a long time before my muscle gets back to normal, if it ever gets back to normal.
Walker: This sounds like a really difficult experience. I’m wondering if there’s anything you’ve taken away from this that you want to share with our listeners?
Skaff: Well, it’s just funny because I wasn’t even thinking. [There are] so many campaign signs you saw out there, and people just stepping in the same grass I did and they don’t even think. Think about how many people are cutting your grass this summer, doing the weed whacker or hitting a golf ball. And the thing I really want to stress is, anything you can do to help people, the kids. Please tell your kids to be careful when they’re out there playing in the yard and in the grass. I mean, if my eight-year-old would’ve got hit four times, I don’t know if he could have survived it.
Eight state senators will not be returning for next year’s legislative session. That makes up nearly 25 percent of the upper chamber.
Eight state senators will not be returning for next year’s legislative session. That makes up nearly 25 percent of the upper chamber.
Tuesday’s shake up resulted in four senators losing their primary races: Sens. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, Robert Karnes, R-Randolph, Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, and, most notably, Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley.
Sens. David Stover, R-Wyoming, Robert Plymale, D-Wayne, Charles Trump, R-Morgan, and Mike Caputo, D-Marion, all decided not to run for a Senate seat this year. Trump is headed to serve on the state’s Supreme Court.
Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, held onto her Republican nomination, but with a thin two percent margin.
Sen. Mark Hunt, R-Kanawha, won the Republican nomination for state auditor. If he wins in November, he will be the ninth senator to leave the Senate this year.
A portion of the five-year levy would have gone to libraries and parks, just not as much as before.
A school levy failed in Cabell County on Tuesday, and it came down to funding for libraries and parks.
The excess school levy lost by about 2 to 1 on Tuesday.
A portion of the five-year levy would have gone to libraries and parks, just not as much as before.
Nancie Perry, a Huntington resident and teacher, explained that’s why she voted no.
“The superintendent took the money away from the parks and from the libraries and wanted to use it all for education,” she said. “And I’m all for education, except that when we voted for that levy, we voted for all three. And he shouldn’t be able to do that.”
The issue could come up again on November’s ballot. The current funding expires next year.
More than 68 percent of voters in Tuesday’s primary election voted against construction of the Renaissance Academy.
More than 68 percent of voters in Tuesday’s primary election voted against construction of the Renaissance Academy. In total, 11,578 voted against the bond measure while 5,404 voted in favor, according to unofficial numbers released by the Monongalia County Clerk’s Office. Results will be certified after canvassing May 20.
The proposed public high school would be accessible to all county students and focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM.
The Monongalia County Schools’ website says “Renaissance Academy’s innovative design and adaptable space will enable students to engage in project-based collaborations with industry partners, receive training in various skilled trades and pursue advanced coursework starting in ninth grade.”
Monongalia County Schools sought approval to issue more than $140 million in bonds to help cover the close to $160 million cost of construction.
The amount was simply too much for voters like Adam Komisaruk, who expressed concern over the use of public education funds.
“If Morgantown is interested in investing in STEM education, which I think is a laudable goal, then I think it should eliminate the middleman and simply increase funding for public schools,” he said.
The bond could appear on the ballot again during November’s general election.
On this West Virginia Morning, the results from Tuesday’s primary election came in mostly as expected. Government Reporter Randy Yohe has covered the intense campaigning leading up to the primary and he joins us live in the studio with results and reactions.
On this West Virginia Morning, the results from Tuesday’s primary election came in mostly as expected. Government Reporter Randy Yohe has covered the intense campaigning leading up to the primary and he joins us live in the studio with results and reactions.
Also, in this show, we have the latest installment of our series “Now What? A Series on Parenting.” Parents are often left with many questions about how to raise a child. Two of the areas that are most concerning and confusing are feeding and nutrition. Government programs can offer many kinds of support, as Chris Schulz learned when he sat down to speak with WIC Outreach Liaison Sarah Moore.
West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.
Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.
Eric Douglas produced this episode.
Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning
Voters across West Virginia are heading to the polls to vote in the 2024 primary election. WVPB’s reporters are visiting polls and speaking with voters. Stay tuned to this live blog for the latest election news from across the state.
Updated on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 10:30 p.m.
Voters across West Virginia are heading to the polls to vote in the 2024 primary election.
The governor’s race has been one of the most closely watched. On the Republican ticket, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, former Del. Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, car dealership magnate Chris Miller and Secretary of State Mac Warner have advertised heavily, and at least three of them have engaged in significant mudslinging — something voters said they don’t like.
The lone Democrat running for governor, three-term Huntington Mayor Steve Willams, has saved his campaign war chest and rhetoric for the general election.
The four primary candidates running for Attorney General are Republicans Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, and State Auditor J.B. McCuskey. They are vying for votes against Democratic candidates Richie Robb and Wheeling attorney Teresa Toriseva.
Term-limited Republican Gov. Jim Justice is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. His competition in the primary is U.S. Congressman Alex Mooney, R-W.Va. Polling has shown Justice with a commanding lead throughout the campaign season.
Manchin endorsed Wheeling Mayor Glen Elliot for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race. Elliot’s primary challengers include former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship and Marine Corps veteran Zach Shrewsbury of Princeton.
For up-to-date information on the candidates and election results, visit the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office and stay tuned to this live blog from West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Polls close at 7:30 p.m.
Follow the WVPB Newsroom on Instagram @wvpublicnews.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has declared victory as the Republican nominee for governor. Former Del. Moore Capito has given a concession speech.
In a state that voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, Morrisey will start as the frontrunner for the November election. He’ll face Steve Williams, who’s in his third term as the mayor of Huntington in November. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, Williams has been able to wait and focus his efforts on the upcoming general election.
The Associated Press has called the Republican race for West Virginia’s Second Congressional District seat for State Treasurer Riley Moore. Steve Wendelin was uncontested in the Democratic primary for the same seat, setting up a match-up between the two men this fall.
The AP has also called the GOP primary for the First Congressional District for Carol Miller over Derrick Evans, a former Republican lawmaker who pleaded guilty to charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
Republican Gov. Jim Justice has won West Virginia’s GOP U.S. Senate nomination, according to the Associated Press. He is immediately favored to flip a Democratic seat that will be vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin.
As expected, Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump easily won their primaries in West Virginia. However, as of 8:30 p.m. on the Secretary of State’s website, Nikki Haley has approximately 10 percent of the Republican vote.
Secretary Of State’s Office Gives Primary Voting Update
The Morgan County Courthouse served as a polling location for West Virginia’s 2024 primary election.
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
WVPB checked in with Secretary of State (SOS) Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Communications Mike Queen mid-afternoon on primary election day to see what was working well and what challenges were being met. Queen said, so far, so good.
He said 1,643 polling places opened this morning. “With the exception of just little glitches that you normally have, everything is going really well so far in all 55 counties.”
Queen said the SOS started primary day planning 10 months ago, working with a network of 55 county clerks.
“We have 1,643 precincts online,” Queen said. “We’ve got backup generator systems with the National Guard on alert all day long in case there would be an electrical issue. The power companies are our partners on Election Day and all in with us in case there would be a problem.“
Asking about statewide voter turnout after about seven hours of voting, Queen turned a disappointing three word phrase.
“Slow and low,” he said. “And that’s probably the biggest disappointment in the election process for us this year. We started the day out with about 17 percent of the registered voters having actually cast ballots, either in person during early voting, or by absentee ballot by mail. That 17 percent is low. By this time, we’re usually in the 21 to 25 percent range. We’d love to get to 40 percent, but I think it’s probably going to be around a 33 to 35 percent turnout for today.”
Queen said voters should visit GoVoteWV.com to follow all the statewide primary races in real time.
Stories From Around The State
Scroll below for stories from around West Virginia as our WVPB reporters speak with voters.
Cabell County
Governor’s Race Runs In The Family For Huntington Resident
For some Huntington voters Tuesday, the primary election was a family event.
Mark Miller is a lifelong Huntington resident. When asked what motivated him to vote in Tuesday’s primary, his answer was simple.
“Yes, my nephew is running for governor,” he said. “I’m Chris Miller’s uncle. So I don’t know if that’s a plug, but it probably is.”
Chris Miller, a businessman, is one of several Republican candidates vying to succeed Republican Gov. Jim Justice. He’s also the son of GOP Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va.
Mark Miller said voting went smoothly for him at Huntington High School on Tuesday.
“It probably took us, all told, maybe half an hour.”
Other voters said they waited an hour or more to cast their ballots at the high school.
Nancie Perry of Huntington said she waited more than an hour to vote at Huntington High School on May 14, 2024. She even saw some people leave because of the wait.
Photo Credit: Curtis Tate/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
People waited an hour or more to vote at Huntington High School Tuesday.
Nancie Perry of Huntington said she’s been participating in elections for six decades. But she’d never spent as much time waiting to vote as she did on Tuesday.
“I’ve never seen it like that,” she said. “And I really don’t know what they’re standing in line for.”
Perry said she didn’t take advantage of early voting because she didn’t expect a long wait on Election Day.
She added that the high school gymnasium didn’t have enough voting machines.
“I saw several people leave,” Perry said. “And that’s sad.”
Perry, a Democrat, said she was motivated to vote against former President Donald Trump, who endorsed candidates running in West Virginia.
Monongalia County
Local Levies Drive Voter Turnout In Monongalia County
In a college town like Morgantown, funding for education and other public services drives voters to the polls.
Galen Anderson is a student at Morgantown High School excited to vote in his first election at his own school. Anderson said he voted in favor of a more than $150 million levy to fund the Renaissance Academy, a new STEM and Career Technical Education center. He believes the new school will help ensure other students in Monongalia County will have more opportunities like the ones he’s afforded by attending Morgantown High.
Galen Anderson was excited to vote in his first election on May 14, 2024.
Photo Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Personally, I’m a fan,” he said. “You can argue with someone for 1,000 years or whether something’s good or bad. The only way to move that forward is to vote.”
Anderson expressed a particular desire to come out and vote for President Joe Biden’s reelection.
“As everyone has said, for every election since the beginning of the United States, this is the most important election ever,” he said. “You should vote. Everyone should vote. If you haven’t voted, you should go vote. And if you don’t vote, that’s OK, too. You’re a part of the system.”
Matthew Misfeldt said his support for the Renaissance Academy came down to “investment in STEM education, investment in children and in providing opportunities that will keep talent and particularly the youth talent here in West Virginia.“
Misfeldt said he was motivated to go to the polls to support a former colleague, whom he did not name, who was running for circuit judge. He expressed some concern for the lack of competition in many local elections.
“A lot of these positions are things that if you’re not really working in that industry, or if that’s not really part of your world, it’s not even something you necessarily think of running for,” Misfeldt said. “You usually see names of people who have been eyeing those jobs for a while, kind of waiting their turn.”
Megan Gandy believes any education funding should go to existing schools.
Megan Gandy, left, and Halle Stewart stand in front of Morgantown High School after voting May 14, 2024.
Photo Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Seeing that we already have underfunded schools, I want to make sure that all the funds can go to all those students in the schools equally,” she said.
Gandy was more than happy to support levies for parks, fire services and especially libraries. Voters in Monongalia County will vote on five distinct levies.
“We saw over the last legislative session how much people like to try and polarize libraries for some reason,” she said. “I think libraries are a wonderful public service and I think they should be funded more than they are.”
As far as particular races, Gandy said she was energized to vote for Tonya Rachelle Rogers who is running for Magistrate in Division 6.
“I just saw that she is really inclusive of all sorts of types of people, including the LGBTQ+ community,” Gandy said. “I think it’s important that we have magistrates that understand not just the laws, but also the ways that they disproportionately impact minorities. So I was glad to see her on the ballot.”
Adam Komisaruk said he believes civic participation is important to allow individual citizens to exert as much influence as possible. He was another voter wary of the new levy to support the proposed Renaissance Academy.
“If Morgantown is interested in investing in STEM education, which I think is a laudable goal, then I think it should eliminate the middleman and simply increase funding for public schools, rather than sink it into a costly venture where other interested parties are likely to take a cut,” Komisaruk said.
Eastern Panhandle
Eastern Panhandle Voters Focus On Local Elections, Specific Issues
Jay Dick, a lifelong resident of Berkeley Springs, braved intermittent rain to vote in West Virginia’s primary election at the Morgan County Courthouse on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s primary election marked a step toward finalizing nominees for this year’s presidential election. But Jay Dick, a retiree from Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, said national politics aren’t what brought him to the polls this week.
Dick said he voted in the primary election “mostly for the local voting process — for the sheriff and magistrates and the Board of Education.”
“Just to vote for who I think would do the best job for the county,” he said.
For some voters in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, local elections had more sway over the decision to participate in this year’s primary election than national politics.
According to the States United Democracy Center, fewer than half of general election voters have turned out for primary elections in the past two decades.
While voters like Dick still participate in the primary election over local issues, Berkeley Springs school teacher Paul Price said increasing political polarization on the national level has made the presidential election more off-putting for voters.
“We’ve got two older guys that are at each other’s throat,” Price said of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. “That’s not a conducive relationship to have between politicians, but that’s where we are.”
Price said this polarization “divides the country,” but the primary election provides an opportunity for voters to “eliminate candidates that you don’t want to be in the final running.”
“If you’re going to have a say in what goes on, then you’ve got to step up and say something,” Price said.
Other voters came to the polls over specific issues, like Melody Fish, a lifelong Democrat from Martinsburg. Fish said reproductive rights were her top concern this year.
“Women’s reproductive rights are huge for me, even though I’m old,” she said. “It doesn’t matter for me anymore. It matters for everybody else.”
Fish, like many Eastern Panhandle voters, said participating in elections was a habit she formed in early adulthood.
“I voted in every election since I was 18 years old. I feel it’s my civic duty to do that,” she said. “Even though this state has gotten increasingly red, and I kind of feel like my vote might be wasted, I’m still going to come vote.”
Likewise, Price described voting in elections as a civic “obligation” for residents.
“Whether I like a candidate or not, if I’m going to complain about something, I should have a say in why I’m complaining,” he said. “Everybody who has a chance should vote.”
Sustainable Growth Top Of Mind For Eastern Panhandle Voters
The Eastern Panhandle is growing at a faster rate than any other region in West Virginia. Residents say that influences how they are looking at local elections.
Paul Price, a school teacher from Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, said it is important that candidates running for local office have a vision for scaling up the region.
“You gotta be careful how you grow, and who’s leading you while you grow,” he said. “I think that’s the important issue right now. Growth is happening.”
Ken Hunter, a retiree from Charles Town, Jefferson County, expressed concern over the scale of local development, and said he is looking for candidates who can ensure growth is sustainable for the community and environment alike.
“I’d rather look across solar panels at the mountains behind than have the view blocked by new apartment buildings, such as we have going out of town here to the east,” Hunter said.
Morgan, Jefferson and Berkeley counties experienced a net gain of 4,061 residents from 2022 to 2023, with the vast majority of newcomers moving to Berkeley County.
Residents expect that trend — and its impact on local politics — will persist in the years ahead.
Many voters heading to polling places in today’s West Virginia Primary said they see casting a primary ballot, any ballot for that matter, as a civic obligation.
Every voter, among the dozen polled at Kanawha City’s Horace Mann Middle School precinct said casting theirballot Tuesday was something mandatory, not optional. Voters like Legal secretary Belinda Mundy.
“Every vote is important and you need to fulfill your civic duty and come out and let your opinion be heard,” Mundy said. “I can remember from, as a child, my mom and dad always going to vote on Election Day. And it was a pretty big deal.”
Every voter polled said they were raised in a family that has voted for generations. Retiree Jimmy Thaxton said he feels an obligation to vote.
“I usually vote in every election and make a choice in what’s going on,” Thanxton said. “I’m not sure whether I vote for the right people or not, but at least I get my two cents in.”
With less than a third of registered voters showing up for primaries, retiree Carol Ball said if you don’t vote, don’t complain.
“This country is in such a mess, such a mess,” Ball said. “If you don’t voice your opinions, you’re not letting the politicians know that we don’t like what’s going on.”
Every voter polled was asked if there was a specific issue that helped motivate them to vote. All said no, they were simply fulfilling a civic duty.
Voters across West Virginia are heading to the polls for the 2024 primary election.
Photo Credit: Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Besides statewide seats like governor and congress, small towns across West Virginia have local mayor and city council seats to fill.
In Saint Albans, Kanawha County, voters had a choice of five candidates for mayor. Voters like Margaret York of Saint Albans said they are happy with the work of current Saint Albans Mayor Scott James.
“Mostly the mayor election,” York said. “I think Scott James was doing a good job and I’d like to keep him in office.”
John Sikora of Saint Albans agreed and said he feels his right to vote is his right to have a say in what’s happening in his city.
“The city St. Albans was, is, running pretty well right now,” Sikora said. “And I voted for Scott James again, because he’s doing a really good job.”
Dawn Scheick, an advanced practice psych nurse, recently moved to Saint Albans from Phillipi. She said her late husband and mother instilled into her the importance of voting.
“Well, I wanted to vote Democrat of course, but also since I’m relatively new here, I got my friend at church, Riverlawn Presbyterian to help me know who to vote for for mayor and for council at large,” Scheick said. “So I’m learning, and I’m 75, almost, and you keep on learning.”
Scheick said she votes left-leaning because she believes that is a way to show others there is hope.
“Everybody needs to vote in this election, to show the world that we are still a country of honor, and voting,” Scheick said. “That’s why I vote Democrat. I want to let others know that there is hope. And we will do the right thing. For me, I’m a nurse for the poor, for the psychiatrically impaired, for children, for old people, for women. So that’s why I do what I do.”
Voters like Faith Miller, a program manager for Workforce, West Virginia, also from Saint Albans, said she votes in every election, primary or general.
“I think it’s important because it affects our community,” Miller said. “And so I like to get people that I feel represent us well into office.”
Miller said her primary voting concern is abortion.
“I’m primarily concerned about the sanctity of life,” Miller said. “So, pro-life issues are very important to me. So that’s why voting in things like primaries are important.”
This election will determine the representatives for the mayor, council at-large, and city council positions across various wards, with the term of office set from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2028.
