CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of the West Virginia Republican Party will meet this Saturday for its summer meeting, in which they will vote on new leadership.
The election for the new chairman and co-chair follows concerns regarding current Chairman Mark Harris. Harris has rejected a call from officers to resign following allegations of inappropriate behavior, and previously announced he would remain in the position through the end of his current term.
Ohio County Republican Executive Committee Chairwoman Elgine McArdle is running for the chairmanship with Putnam County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Tony Hodge as her co-chair candidate. John McCutcheon has asked Kanawha County Delegate Dianna Graves to be his co-chair. A third team includes Dolph Santorine and his co-chair candidate Liz Balt.
McArdle said it is important for Republicans to maintain their advantage, and the party needs leadership to keep interest and confidence in Republicans.
“I like to think my leadership style is one that surrounds yourself with people with talent and integrity and workers,” she told MetroNews affiliate WCHS-AM. “There’s no room for ‘I did this, and therefore, I get credit.’ I think it’s amazing what can be done when no one takes the credit and everybody just moves so forward toward the same goal.”
McCutcheon said the state Republican Party needs someone who will address internal factions among members.
“If we don’t break away from that, we’re going to get mired in more factionalism, and we do a disservice to our elected Republicans and Republican challengers by not providing them with the kind of resources that our proper party apparatus should provide,” he told WCHS-AM.
The new leaders will serve a four-year term.