WASHINGTON — More than a month from the four-year anniversary of when he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., announced he would be resigning from the seat on Sunday.
“Country roads are calling me home,” Jenkins said on the House floor. “My state is facing a crisis in our judicial system, and I believe back home is where I’m needed most to best serve the people of West Virginia.”
Jenkins, nearing the end of his second term in the House, will be sworn in Monday as a justice of the state Supreme Court of Appeals. Gov. Jim Justice announced in August his appointments of Jenkins and former House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead to the bench.
A lawsuit challenging the appointments was filed earlier this month on the grounds neither were fit to serve; Charleston attorney Willaim Schwartz argued Jenkins hasn’t practiced law since 1999 and put his law license on inactive status in 2014 while serving in Congress. As for Armstead, Schwartz said the former speaker’s vote for investigating the court’s justices for impeachable officials made him ineligible to serve.
A fill-in state Supreme Court ruled on Monday there were no legal issues with Justice’s appointments. Armstead took the oath of office on Tuesday.
Both men are running for the two open seats on the court in the current election cycle.
Jenkins was first elected to the House in 2014, defeating Democratic incumbent Rep. Nick Rahall, who had served for 38 years. Jenkins announced in May 2017 his campaign to run for U.S. Senate against Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Jenkins finished second in the Republican Senate primary held in May, losing to state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey.
“We’re proud West Virginians, always working to make sure that the state we love is the very best it can be and taking care of one another when times are stuff,” Jenkins said. “In Congress, I’ve tried to use that Mountain State, can-do spirit to help West Virginians grow and prosper.”
Jenkins touched on his areas of focus while serving in the House, including his work at Lily’s Place and treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome, in which babies experience withdrawal-like symptoms after being exposed to drugs while in the womb. He also talked about securing funding for coal miner’s pensions and funding for increasing infrastructure.
According to Jenkins, his staff will continue to process cases until January when the new group of lawmakers will take office. His office will remain vacant until the next congressional term begins.
“I will not miss sleeping on a $99 cot each night these past four years in my office here in Washington, but I was never here in Washington to get settled in,” he said.
The 3rd Congressional District contest is one of the most-watched House races in the country, with state Sen. Richard Ojeda, D-Logan, facing off against state Delegate Carol Miller, R-Cabell.