Say it ain't Joe

When it comes to politics in the mountain state I'm no stranger to the political fray. Based on historical data showing a growing trend towards West Virginia becoming a "Red State" I called the Republican sweep of our state a couple of years before it happened, I've been to D.C. a time or two, toured the political buildings, and even became friends with Robert C. Byrd spending time in his office speaking to him as a teenager about the issues effecting West Virginia and our country.

Politics are often a completely different world than most are used to. Where else can someone promise you four years of bliss and deliver four years of the opposite while keeping their job?

Our upcoming Senate race is sure to be one to remember as Joe Manchin, Tom Willis, Patrick Morrisey, and others vie for our votes.

Joe Manchin is no stranger to West Virginia as he's had a long political career, a career most West Virginians would probably say has lasted too long given his detachment with a majority of the population of the state on important issues, close family ties to crooked dealings such as his daughters EpiPen price hike, and his defense of unpopular immigration issues and Obama era policies. I did not attempt to reach out to Joe Manchin prior to this article.

Tom Willis is a wild card in the election coming from a civilian/military background touting his veteran status, small business experience, and claiming to be a Conservative. From all the information I can find his candidacy lacks just one thing, details on where he stands, what Conservative values he has, and anything in the way of explaining his candidacy other than veteran, Conservative, family man, and job creator facts touted repeatedly on his profiles and on other political pages. Tom you have to actually lay out your plans, stances, and goals in order to get votes relying on your veteran status will gain you many thanks from those you fought to defend including me but it won't single handedly by that merit alone deliver you into a U.S. Senate seat. I reached out to Tom Willis via a Facebook comment and at the time of this article had received no clarification on his stances nor any response at all.

Patrick Morrisey is the sitting AG for the state and has made a clear record for himself as being pro second amendment, anti Obama era policy, and despite many ultimately legal losses as AG he did what he himself said his goal was to do "gum up the courts" and "limit the damage that the Obama administration can inflict on our citizens". At the time of this article I had not reached out to him but he reached out to me in response to my questions posed elsewhere and expressed a willingness to address any issues or concerns I had.

At this time my personal opinion is that out of the three candidates listed in this article Patrick Morrisey is most likely to garner my personal support in the coming election due to his proven track record, publicly available stances on key issues, and his willingness to communicate with his constituents.