United States Congress Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

State Treasurer Riley Moore Announces Run For U.S. Congress

Speaking from his home in Harpers Ferry on Monday, the former state delegate said he will run as a Republican in 2024 for the 2nd Congressional District seat.

Speaking from his home in Harpers Ferry on Monday, the former state delegate said he will run as a Republican in 2024 for the 2nd Congressional District seat now held by Rep. Alex Mooney, who announced last week he’s running for U.S. Senate in 2024.

“My track record speaks for itself,“ Moore said. “I’ve been a conservative fighter as your state treasurer, and that is exactly what I’m going to do when I go to Washington.”

Moore said he will continue his conservative fight in support of fossil fuels and national energy independence.

“I’ve been fighting the woke corporations, woke capitalism and the ESG movement in this country. I was the first state treasurer in this country to divest BlackRock out of our state treasury funds,” Moore said. “I was the first state treasurer to come up with a restricted financial institution list that put woke banks on it for boycotting the fossil fuel industry in the state of West Virginia.”

As state shepherd of the Hope Scholarship Program, Moore said he will push to create national educational savings accounts across America.

“This should be a federal program, we must have school choice for all of our children. You see the national test scores, they are abysmal,” Moore said. “Fourth grade and eighth grade reading and math has never been lower. We have to put our children first. There’s a war going on with the family in this country, and we have to be able to give them choice over indoctrination.”

Moore said he’d fight to better train a United States workforce to bring jobs back home from China. He proposed putting more tariffs on Chinese products to help correct a trade imbalance.

Moore continues a West Virginia Republican family political legacy as the nephew of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and the grandson of three-time Gov. Arch Moore.

W.Va. Rep. Mooney's TV Ad Using House Footage Draws Complaint

The Republican primary campaign involving two incumbents for a newly consolidated congressional district in West Virginia has heated up after one U.S. House member attacked the opponent in a TV ad, drawing complaints of an apparent ethics violation.

The video released Friday by the campaign of Rep. Alex Mooney used footage from official House proceedings, including speeches by its members. According to the House ethics manual, such proceedings cannot be used in campaign or political activities.

Kevin Stephens, manager of Rep. David McKinley’s re-election campaign, said he was writing a letter to the House Ethics Committee about the ad.

West Virginia lost one of its three congressional seats following the 2020 census because of population losses. The districts of Mooney and McKinley are being consolidated into one and both announced their intent to seek office again. West Virginia’s primary election is May 10.

Mooney already faces an ethics probe over whether he previously used campaign cash to make personal purchases.

“The ad is yet another example of Alex Mooney’s blatant disregard for House rules and federal laws,” Stephens said in an email Wednesday to The Associated Press.

In the ad that plays up Mooney’s support of former President Donald Trump, the four-term congressman said McKinley voted for the formation of a bipartisan independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Mooney voted against the legislation, which was later blocked by Republicans in the Senate.

The ad also was critical of a vote by McKinley, who is in his sixth term, for President Joe Biden’s $1 billion infrastructure deal.

“David McKinley sold us out,” the ad said.

The Parkersburg News and Sentinel first reported about the ad, saying a version was sent to television stations.

In an email to the AP, Mooney campaign spokesman Mark Harris called complaints about the use of House proceedings in the ad “super ticky tack” and said “once we were notified, we changed the spot.”

Big Voting Bill Faces Defeat As Two Democrats Won't Stop Filibuster

Voting legislation that’s a top priority for Democrats and civil rights leaders seemed headed for defeat as the Senate opened Tuesday, a devastating setback enabled by President Joe Biden’s own party as two holdout senators refuse to support rule changes to overcome a Republican filibuster.

The Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, face strong criticism from Black leaders and civil rights organizations for failing to take on what the critics call the “Jim Crow filibuster.”

The debate carries echoes of an earlier era when the Senate filibuster was deployed by opponents of civil rights legislation. It comes as Democrats and other voting advocates nationwide warn that Republican-led states are passing laws making it more difficult for Black Americans and others to vote by consolidating polling locations, requiring certain types of identification and ordering other changes.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged the current bill’s likely defeat this week. But he said the fight is not over as he heeds advocates’ call to force all senators to go on record with their positions.

“The eyes of the nation will be watching what happens this week,” Schumer said as he opened the session Tuesday.

This is the fifth time the Senate will try to pass voting legislation this Congress.

The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act combines earlier bills into one package that would make Election Day a national holiday, ensure access to early voting and mail-in ballots — which have become especially popular during the COVID-19 pandemic— and enable the Justice Department to intervene in states with a history of voter interference, among other changes.

Both Manchin and Sinema say they support the package, which has passed the House, but they are unwilling to change the Senate rules to muscle it through that chamber over Republican objections. With a 50-50 split, Democrats have a narrow Senate majority — Vice President Kamala Harris can break a tie — but they lack the 60 votes needed to overcome the GOP filibuster.

Just as they blocked Biden’s broad “Build Back Better” domestic spending package, the two senators are now dashing hopes for the second major part of Biden’s presidential agenda. They are infuriating many of their colleagues and faced a barrage of criticism during Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.

Martin Luther King III, the son of the late civil rights leader, compared Sinema and Manchin to a white moderate his father wrote about during the civil rights battles of the 1950s and 1960s — a person who declared support for the goals of Black voting rights but not the direct actions or demonstrations that ultimately led to passage of landmark legislation.

“History will not remember them kindly,” the younger King said, referring to Sinema and Manchin by name.

Once reluctant to change Senate rules himself, Biden used the King holiday to pressure senators to do just that. But the push from the White House, including Biden’s blistering speech last week in Atlanta comparing opponents to segregationists, is seen as too late, coming as the president ends his first year in office with his popularity sagging.

“It’s time for every elected official in America to make it clear where they stand,” Biden said on the King holiday. “It’s time for every American to stand up. Speak out, be heard. Where do you stand?”

The Senate is launching what could become a weeklong debate, but the outcome is expected to be no different from past failed votes on the legislation. Biden has been unable to persuade Sinema and Manchin to join other Democrats to change the rules to lower the 60-vote threshold. In fact, Sinema upstaged the president last week, reiterating her opposition to the rules changes just before Biden arrived on Capitol Hill to court senators’ votes.

Senators have been working nonstop for weeks on rule changes that could win support from Sinema and Manchin. The two, both moderates, have expressed openness to discussing the ideas, but have not given their backing.

Both Manchin and Sinema have argued that preserving the filibuster rules, requiring a 60-vote majority to pass most legislation, is important for fostering bipartisanship. They also warn of what would happen if Republicans win back majority control, as is distinctly possible this election year.

Critics have also assailed Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who is leading his party against the voting legislation. The Kentucky senator has argued the legislation is a federal overreach into state-run elections, and he harshly criticized Biden’s speech last week as “unpresidential.”

“We cannot think of a time more defining to the American story than the chapter you are presently writing,” NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson wrote in an open letter to the Senate.

“What country will your children and grandchildren be left with, given the relentless assaults on American freedom and democracy?”

Manchin spokeswoman Sam Runyon said in a statement late Monday: “Senator Manchin believes strongly that every American citizen of legal age has not only the right, but also the responsibility to vote and that right must be protected by law. He continues to work on legislation to protect this right.”

Sinema’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The voting bill was the Democrats’ top priority this Congress, and the House swiftly approved H.R. 1 only to see it languish in the Senate.

Capito Stands On Record For Reelection, Swearengin Argues W.Va. Needs Greater Support

One of West Virginia’s two U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot this year as the GOP fights nationally to retain its majority in Washington, D.C. Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito has held this office since 2015 and is the first woman from West Virginia to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Facing her is Democrat Paula Jean Swearengin who has never held a political office but believes her ideas and experiences are exactly what the state needs in Congress.

Capito grew up in public service. Her father, Arch Moore Jr., was both a U.S. congressman and a governor of West Virginia. Capito said she learned from a very young age what it meant to be a public servant. But it wasn’t until she became a parent that she said she realized just how much she wanted to help people.

“I just felt like as a relatively young mother in West Virginia, I wanted to try to do that for the next generations of West Virginians – to participate, to be a part of the solutions instead of just carping about what was wrong and how I could have done it better,” Capito said. “Well, I was ready to try it myself.”

There are several issues Capito feels strongly about this year, but she said one of her top priorities is expanding broadband in rural areas. She said having dependable internet access is key to many of the challenges in West Virginia, especially right now.

“Now we see in light of COVID how important this issue is for healthcare, for education, for economic development,” she said. “And really, to keep our young people in West Virginia, it’s exceedingly important as well.”

Capito said she started the rural broadband caucus in the U.S. Senate and works across the aisle on the issue, including with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, from Minissota. If reelected, Capito said, she would continue to fight for broadband growth and access in the state.

Capito said the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic response has been a mixed bag. She thinks Trump should have been stronger on mask-wearing and provided clearer communication to keep people safe.

“If I had to do it over again, for him, I would have been much more concise, clear to the American people of what the dangers are, how you can be effective in fighting the dangers and be very honest with where we are at any given time,” she said.

Other important issues to Capito are healthcare access like telehealth and tackling the opioid epidemic by providing federal dollars to support those in recovery. Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease is also an issue Capito said is close to her heart. She supports job creation and supports the coal and natural gas industries.

Capito said she thinks creating more jobs in West Virginia like manufacturing PPE, or personal protective equipment, could be great economic drivers for the state. She also said supporting small business growth is key to a healthy West Virginia.

“I think the small business aspects of West Virginia are critically important,” she said. “And so, to retain our jobs, to keep our creativity, we’ve got to find a way to keep our small businesses’ heads above water.”

All-in-all, Capito is hoping West Virginians will reelect her based on her dedication to the state and her accomplishments while in the Senate. Capito has supported efforts in providing federal funding to the state to support broadband expansion, substance use treatment, and infrastructure needs. She is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and a member of the Senate Commerce Committee.

But facing Capito in November is Democrat Paula Jean Swearengin who thinks that Capito has done little to understand the real challenges faced by West Virginians.

“If you would have told me 15 years ago that I’d be the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate, I probably laughed at you,” Swearengin said. “I just got tired of begging and going on deaf ears, and I know a lot of West Virginia feels the same way. I’m not going for personal gain, it’s about survival for West Virginians.”

Swearengin’s overall message is West Virginia needs representation in Washington, D.C. from someone who knows first hand what it was like to have financial hardships or who knows what it’s like to live without clean water.

“Our water came out of an abandoned coal mine, and it was orange with a blue and purple film,” she said. “And we drank it. We bathed in it. We cooked with it, and I didn’t know until my stepdad got laid off in the coal mines that I wasn’t a redhead until I had access to clean water, and I found out I was a brunette.”

Swearengin was born in Mullins, West Virginia. She said she grew up in poverty and is the daughter and granddaughter of coal miners. Her grandfather passed away from black lung disease. Her father also had black lung disease, and he died of cancer.

Swearengin has never held a political office, but this isn’t the first time she’s been on the ballot for a seat in the U.S. Senate. She lost to Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin in the 2018 primary election. Now, she’s trying again, this time, as the Democratic nominee.

Swearengin describes Capito as “out of touch” and not serving West Virginians’ needs.

“Everybody doesn’t have to agree on everything, but their sole purpose should be serving the people that put them there, and that’s the people in the United States,” she said. “In West Virginia, we have been underserved, and it’s important to me that West Virginians have a seat at the table in Washington, DC.”

Swearengin said West Virginia has been abused for its resources and that West Virginians have had to pay the price, both in health and money.

She stands on issues like expanding broadband access but making it a public utility. She is supportive of the legalization and taxation of marijuana. She also thinks West Virginia needs to diversify its economy and support new ideas in areas like geothermal energy, hydro power, roads, schools, and adequate water and sewer systems.

“The possibilities for West Virginia are endless,” she said. “We can’t put our eggs in one basket anymore, and we definitely can’t put all of our eggs in the politicians that are visionaries for their pocketbooks and visionaries for our demise.”

Early voting starts on Oct. 21 and runs until Oct. 31.

The deadline for absentee ballots is Oct. 28. Election Day is Nov. 3.

October 24, 1861: Voters Approve State of West Virginia

On October 24, 1861, voters formally approved the formation of West Virginia. Many western Virginia residents had been frustrated with the Virginia state government for years. But, they had few options at their disposal because the U.S. Constitution forbids any state to be carved from another state without the original state’s approval.

The Virginia state government in Richmond would not have willingly given away one-third of its territory. But, when Virginia left the Union at the beginning of the Civil War, western Virginia politicians seized their window of opportunity.

In June of 1861, western Virginia leaders formed the Reorganized Government of Virginia, which pledged its loyalty to the Union. Meeting in Wheeling, this new Virginia state government set the gears in motion to create West Virginia.

When the measure was put to a vote in October, residents approved it by a wide margin. However, the new state was not universally popular as only 37 percent of eligible voters went to the polls. After being approved by Congress and President Abraham Lincoln, West Virginia entered the Union as the 35^th state on June 20, 1863.

Senators Introduce Amendment Aimed at Boosting Black Lung Screening Participation

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have introduced a provision that aims to boost participation in black lung detection programs.

Virginia Democrat Sen. Mark Warner introduced the amendment Wednesday into the defense, labor, health and education spending package that is being debated on the Senate floor.

If passed, the provision would require the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH to create a report for Congress within 180 days detailing how to increase participation in black lung screening programs.

The report would specifically focus on NIOSH’s Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program, which offers free black lung screenings. Currently, only 35 percent of active miners participate and the percentage of retired miners is even lower.

The report would also aim to identify what barriers deter coal miners with black lung from getting treatment. The amendment does not provide any new funds for the report, but instead directs the agency to use money already appropriated by Congress.

The amendment comes at a time when cases of black lung are at a 25-year high, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health.

In a statement, Warner said improving outreach efforts would help more miners get screened.

“Black lung is a deadly disease, but the earlier it’s detected, the better the outcomes are,” he said.

A bipartisan group of six lawmakers co-sponsored the amendment, all hailing from Appalachia. They include Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).