CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former Kanawha County state senator says he could not remain on the political sidelines with a U.S. House seat in the 2nd Congressional District on the line.
“I am running because I am concerned about the direction this (Obama) Administration is leading our nation and I feel that I have a duty to try to do something about it,” said Steve Harrison on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
Harrison, who lives in Kanawha County and is a community bank vice president, represented the 32nd District in the state House of Delegates from 1992-2002 and the 8th District in the state Senate from 2002-2006.
He did not seek reelection in 2006.
“When this seat opened up, I felt like I needed to try to make a difference,” he said of his political return.
According to Harrison, his political history in West Virginia along with 14 years of voting records at the State House sets him apart from the other six Republican candidates seeking the nomination in Tuesday’s primary election.
“When I’m speaking and looking at those who will be voting in the Republican primary, I think we need to look at who is the strongest candidate to win this seat in the fall. I have a proven, undefeated record of winning elections,” Harrison said. “I beat an incumbent Democratic state senator in Kanawha County, which is about a third of the population of the 2nd District.”
In addition to Harrison, the other Republican candidates in the 2nd Congressional District are Robert Lawrence Fluharty, an investigator from Charles Town; Ken Reed, a pharmacist from Morgan County; Jim Moss, a cost management specialist with Toyota Motors Manufacturing; Ron Walters, Jr., a financial consultant in Charleston; Alex Mooney, a former Maryland state senator and Charlotte Lane, a former commissioner for the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The Democrats running in the 2nd Congressional District are Nick Casey, a former state Democratic Party chair, and Meshea Poore, a Kanawha County delegate.
Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) currently holds the U.S. House seat in the 2nd District. She is seeking the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in West Virginia’s primary election that will be held on Tuesday. Early voting continues through Saturday.