She wants to talk to the guy.
Yeah, THAT guy. The same chauvinist, P-O-S man who left a most disturbing voicemail on her work phone to degrade her and to threaten sexual violence.
That’s because W.Va. Sen. Laura Wakim Chapman wants to ask why. She wants to know what it was that she said or did or supported that provoked such an angry, vile tirade. Then, believe it or not, she wants to forgive him and talk to him about whatever IT may be.
Legal issue or something on the social side? Still waiting on a return email or a phone call? Did this scumbag meet her and not like her?
Or is it because this wife, daughter, mother of two, and lawyer also is a female state lawmaker? Because she’s one of 16 women who have been elected to positions in the West Virginia Legislature?
Is that why you believed your grotesque message – one filled with vulgar language and violent suggestions – would shock the lady even though her father is a retired Captain of Infantry in the United States Army?
‘Keep your head on a swivel’? That’s what you said, right? You tried to scare her right outta office, didn’t ya?
Guess what. Didn’t work.
Will the recent threats that have been made against you alter how you serve the residents of the First Senatorial District?
Absolutely not.
I will continue to serve the great people I represent, and this cowardly bully’s inappropriate actions will not change that. I will continue to attend events, talk to my constituents, and take phone calls to hear their concerns. I have – and will continue – to offer my personal cell phone number to everyone so that they can call to talk with me about the issues.
Ultimately, I will not be silenced and will fight every day to make the Northern Panhandle an even better place to raise a family. To do otherwise would give this bully validation that he can threaten someone with sexual violence to shut them up.
Would you like to meet and speak with the man who left you the threatening email? Why or why not?
I would love to speak with him and ask why he thought it appropriate to leave me such a graphic and sexually explicit voicemail. I would like to know what, if anything, prompted him to leave such an angry and hate-filled voicemail.
No two people will ever agree on every issue and there are healthy ways to express dissatisfaction. I believe in the First Amendment with every fiber of my being. I welcome any and all calls from constituents asking questions or expressing concerns. But I want to tell him that this language directed at a female is simply inappropriate and cannot be tolerated in a civil society.
And importantly, I want to offer him forgiveness should he request it. Honestly, his inappropriate actions have given me an opportunity to put out the message that the threat of sexual violence is never OK. I think there are a lot of women out there who have to deal with these issues. Anyone who is dealing with a bully who makes you fear for your safety should be reported to the proper authority. Hopefully, this helps get out the message that it is okay to get and receive help!
Why did you choose to follow your father’s footsteps to the West Virginia Legislature?
I am so proud of my dad. He was the quintessential statesman. He was able to bring transparency to the governmental process and he fought for our district in an effective and principled manner. That being said, I had no intention of ever following in his footsteps. I saw the long hours he had to put in to effectively represent the district and the sacrifices he had to make. I am not afraid of hard work, but I saw politics as something that was time consuming and frustrating. I still do.
But Covid-19 hit and the schools were shut down. When I looked into the issues as to why we would ever harm our children by keeping them from an effective in-person education and socialization with other children, I was shocked to see how few female legislators (especially moms) were serving.
It took me several weeks to decide if I would be able to sacrifice my time with my children to run for public office. But I decided to run because of my children—as well as the children of West Virginia. I would have a unique perspective on the laws that are passed that affect our children.
To that end, I have focused much of my legislation on children. I have fought hard for childcare, foreign language instruction for our children, human trafficking awareness and prevention, child protective services reform, and access to healthcare. I also was a cosponsor on a bill that would prohibit deep fake child pornography (where artificially generated pornography is created depicting a realistic child). I also care deeply about clean water and have introduced legislation to ensure our residents have clean and safe water to drink and bathe.
One of my biggest concerns is school safety. I co-sponsored the Guardian Act for both of the sessions I have served. I am pleased to report it has passed the Senate both sessions. I am working tirelessly to ensure it passes the house and is ultimately signed by our Governor. Our children, teachers, and staff deserve a safe learning environment.
I am so glad that I ran for office. I intend, if it is the will of the voters, to continue in this pursuit because I am passionate and won’t give up on the issues that will truly make the Northern Panhandle an even better place to live.
In your opinion, what is the biggest problem with today’s Republican Party in West Virginia?
We are lucky in West Virginia that our Republican Party has maintained a sense of purpose and focused on the issues that can help our State grow and its people prosper. There is certainly more work to do, and I will be there to make sure it happens, but I am certainly happy that we are focusing on growth and prosperity.
There is no such thing as perfect, and I think the West Virginia Republican Party needs to focus more on sensible deregulation and commit to eliminating unnecessary taxes. There has been a push on both of these fronts, but we are not being as effective as we could.
Which children’s TV show that your kids watch do you actually enjoy?
My children love the show “Bluey”. This is an adorable cartoon about a family of dogs. It is such a realistic depiction of parenthood. For example, there was a scene where the family is on a road trip and the backseat was an absolute mess. The children like to play fun games like “keepy upy” where the goal is to hit a balloon in the air to a second player and keep the balloon from hitting the floor. The show is charming and is very relatable.
Our family likes to snuggle on the couch for “movie night” and popcorn. Instead of watching movies, we always end up watching Bluey.
