CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County teenager voted for the first time this week in an election in which he was also a candidate.
Trevor Morris, 18, was nominated in Tuesday’s primary election, according to unofficial results, with three other Republicans in the West Virginia’s 35th House of Delegates District which includes part of Kanawha County.
“I just felt like God called me to run,” Morris said of his campaign inspiration.
“I kept getting a feeling that I needed to do something and I didn’t want to see West Virginia just keep crumbling and crumbling so I felt like I could do something and I stepped up to the plate.”
When MetroNews spoke with Morris on Thursday, he was planning to meet soon with a campaign manager to prepare for the November general election.
He was also waiting on details of plans for an in-person graduation ceremony for his Class of 2020 at St. Albans High School.
Riley Keaton from Roane County, now 22, was a senior in high school when he first voted in an election four years ago and also, at the same time, first ran for public office.
He lost in the 2016 Republican primary for the 11th House District which includes parts of Roane County and Jackson County to now-Delegate Rick Atkinson (R-Roane), assistant House majority whip.
The difference in 2016 was 28 votes.
Atkinson ran that year after first being appointed to the House in 2015.
In this past Tuesday’s primary, Keaton won the nomination over Atkinson by 93 votes, according to unofficial results.
“I think we’re looking at a community here that desperately needs something different, desperately needs different results,” Keaton said.
“I believe that I have the passion, I’ve got the vision and the commitment, the dedication to try to deliver that for people so that’s why I ran for House of Delegates.”
Keaton is a part-time student at West Virginia University studying economics, an apprentice with a venture capital firm and a program developer, fundraiser and event planner for the Youth Leadership Association.
To be elected, he’ll have to beat Mark Pauley, a Democrat who has billed himself as “the people’s representative.” Pauley ran unopposed in Tuesday’s primary.
“I believe that our message of the people want their government back and I intend to give it to them is something that appeals just as strongly, if not more strongly, in a general election as it does in a primary,” Keaton said.
There is only one seat in the 11th House District.
The 35th House District has four seats.
In Kanawha County, Morris was advancing to the general election in the 35th District with incumbent Delegate Moore Capito (R-Kanawha), former Delegate Chris Stansbury and Stonerise Healthcare CEO Larry Pack.
The nominated Democrat candidates in the 35th District were incumbent Delegate Doug Skaff (D-Kanawha), Kayla Young, a small business owner, Kathy Ferguson, a criminal justice advocate, and Rusty Williams, a designer and artist.
Originally, in addition to campaigning, Morris had wanted to next enroll in electrial lineman training at BridgeValley Community and Technical College following his graduation from St. Albans High.
Whether that would be an option immediately was a question, he said, because of the pandemic
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.