CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice has named Buck Jennings of Preston County to a House of Delegates seat that was vacated after the death of Delegate Tony Lewis.
The seat serves portions of Preston and Tucker counties.
Jennings ran against Lewis in the 2016 Republican primary for the seat. That vote was close, with 1,469 people voting for Lewis and 1,360 voting for Jennings.
Jennings is from Evansville and a lifelong resident of Preston County. He and his wife have three grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He has worked as an emergency medical technician and has run his own construction companies, Jennings Legacy Builders and J&M Builders.
Lewis died in late September after a recurrence of cancer. Lewis served in the National Guard for 26 years and worked 18 years in coal mines. He was the small business owner of T & L Excavating and owned and operated a family beef farm.
He and his wife, Lyndia, were parents to five children and had two grandchildren.