CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nitro Attorney Harvey Peyton says he made the decision to seek the Democrat nomination for Second District congressional seat based on what he heard from Sen. Ed Gaunch (R-Kanawha) after his election in November 2014.
“If not me, who? If not now, when?,” he said recalling Gaunch’s words on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline. “I seriously believe it’s the job of a Second District congressman to go to Washington and work every day for the people of the district. I realize it’s a national office, but we’ve got to find a way to make West Virginia relevant on the national scene.”
Peyton said he had been a Democrat his entire life, but still shared some conservative views.
“I’m certainly more liberal about a lot of things than other people, but I’m fairly conservative about fiscal matters,” Peyton said. “I don’t think we ought to waste money, people ought to pay their taxes; work hard; have a chance for a decent retirement when they’ve worked all their life.”
When asked about the state of the coal industry, Peyton said that he doesn’t believe it will get back to what it once was, both because of the federal EPA and market conditions.
“I’m just not sure it’s doable when two-thirds of the people in the United States openly say they believe in climate change as an issue and Congress has not made any move to modify the Clean Air or Clean Water Act,” said Peyton.
Peyton faces a crowded field to win the Democratic nomination in the Second District, with Tom Payne, Mark Hunt, Cory Simpson and Robert Wilson Jr. also running.
On the Republican side, incumbent Alex Mooney faces only Marc Savitt for the nomination.
The primary election is scheduled for May 10.