There has been a lot of discussion over the last few days about the state Senate contest in District 1, which covers Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, and the rural portions of Marshall County. As a longtime Republican political consultant in West Virginia who was born and raised in Glen Easton in Marshall County, I have a few thoughts on the race that I would like to share.
The Republican primary for this Senate district is a race between incumbent Laura Chapman and the former president of Eagle Manufacturing, Joe Eddy. Currently, I believe Eddy is in a strong position to win this race and I think he is the best conservative candidate to keep the seat in GOP hands in this November’s general election. Conversely, if Chapman were to survive the primary challenge, it is highly unlikely that she would be able to defend her seat and would lose the general election to Democrat Del. Shawn Fluharty (D-5).
In my view, the biggest political obstacle that Chapman is facing right now is fundraising. To date, over three-quarters of all of Chapman’s campaign contributions have come from non-Republicans. And now with a true liberal Democrat like Fluharty in the race, I believe Chapman will no longer be able to continue to rely upon Democrat personal injury lawyers to fund her campaign.
I see another other significant political obstacle for Chapman, and that is a voting record I consider to be abysmal. As a member of the Senate, I feel she has one of the worst records on jobs and affordability issues in that chamber, and she has also championed the extremely unpopular position of removing school-age vaccine requirements that have kept West Virginia’s kids safe for decades. I feel she showed her willingness to trample the religious freedoms of others in order to get what she wanted on this issue.
In my opinion, voters in West Virginia want a state senator who is focused on creating jobs and economic development opportunities and not someone who votes against the best interests of her constituents while being focused on a few extreme issues.
Fluharty is a liberal personal injury litigator, but he will be able to raise a lot of money. He is very vocal and is good at grabbing headlines. Following the legislative redistricting of 2021, Senate District 1 added a significant number of rural Marshall County voters who have made the district an uphill climb for Democrats – as long as the Republicans don’t elect a radical RINO (Republican in name only) with a failed record in the state Senate.
Eddy is a proven job creator and has served as an advisor to President Donald Trump on rebuilding American manufacturing, and I believe he is a strong conservative who will run an aggressive, Republican-funded campaign in both the primary and general elections. For conservatives in state Senate District 1, I feel the choice is clear: Joe Eddy is your best bet to hold the seat and help return the state Senate to a more conservative direction that will be focused on growing our economy and creating jobs.
