Randy Smith, a 64-year-old retired coal miner, is in line to be the next president of the West Virginia Senate.
“I’m the American dream, standing here. I mean, it’s just as simple as that,” Smith said, talking to reporters after he was selected to lead the Republican-dominated chamber. “I cannot give God enough glory for what happened here tonight.”
Smith was chosen in a closed-door session of the Senate’s Republican supermajority that stretched more than four hours and multiple votes Sunday afternoon into the evening.
“This is really special because I was elected by my peers, and honestly I think it’s because I don’t pretend to be someone that I’m not. I’m a very humble person,” Smith said. “I mean what I say and I say what I mean.”
Smith said he worked the past nine years in coal mine safety after spending 22 years as a section foreman, “which is one thing I think has given me the confidence in my leadership skills. You’ve never led anybody or been a supervisor for anybody until you are a supervisor for coal miners because they’re the salt of the earth. They’re wonderful people.”
He told reporters that he would be fair to all senators and run the bills that the majority want. He was not yet ready to name a leadership team or committee chairs and said he had promised nothing to anyone so far. Smith described a continued focus on economic development, including small businesses, but also said West Virginia voters will expect conservative social policies.
“All of us have one vote, all of us represent a district and everyone will be free to vote what’s for their district or what their moral values are and there will never be any repercussion from me,” Smith said. “It’ll be determined by the body. If we have 18 votes, it’ll run and it’ll pass.”
On the rest of his team, Smith said, “I never promised anybody anything. All I promised anybody was, I would be honest with them, fair with them and use them to their strengths. So I’ve got to put a whole leadership team together. I’ve got some people in my mind that I want to talk to.”
Smith, who has represented a sprawling district around Preston County, most recently has served as the Energy Chairman. He was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2012 and then won election to the Senate in 2016.
His competitors for Senate president were Finance Chairman Eric Tarr of Putnam County and the current majority leader, Tom Takubo of Kanawha County. Observers said Tarr was first knocked out of the vote, and then Smith won a majority over Takubo.
“They were the first to congratulate me,” Smith said.
The Senate’s top leadership position was open because Craig Blair, who has held the position since 2021, was defeated in the Republican primary election.
The Republican majority is so enormous that whoever has the backing of the caucus is bound to be the Senate president, but an official vote of all senators in January would include the two Democrats as well. Some senators will be departing: Charles Trump, the current judiciary chairman, has been elected to the state Supreme Court, and Mark Hunt has been elected auditor. Others still unnamed may be plucked for administration roles.
Members of the House of Delegates also caucused on Sunday, but there was no doubt that current House Speaker Roger Hanshaw would remain in that leadership position.
In the Senate, Smith had expressed confidence in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s caucus vote. “Everyone knows it’s not a matter of ‘if’ we get the votes, but rather when the others in the race acknowledge that we have the support and are moving on without them,” Smith said last month.
On the Senate floor on Sunday night, Smith described himself as blown away and got emotional when he spoke.
“Honestly, I thought I had a good chance,” he said. But he said he’s been around long enough to know, “People aren’t always truthful with you where they stand.”
— Brad McElhinny (@BradMcElhinny) December 9, 2024
Smith told reporters that he doesn’t intend to push a top-down agenda as president and believes that was one key to his support.
But he elaborated, “We’re going to continue with economic development. You know I’m a roads guy so I’m going to really push for our infrastructure. Roads and broadband and economic development — and economic development clear across the state. I don’t want to just pick regions out. I want to put a whole new emphasis on West Virginia small business.”
He continued, “Not that we’re not going to go after the big players because you can’t turn down someone who is going to bring in 500 jobs, 700 jobs — but we have to concentrate on our people in West Virginia and I think we’ve lacked that in the past.”
Smith said that he supports the coal industry but does not oppose other forms of energy production. “I’m smart enough to know that times are changing. I mean, I don’t think they’ll ever be able to do away with coal. If they would ever quit burning it, it’s used so much in other things — manufacturing. So I’ll do everything I can do to keep every coal mine job and add any that I can.”
He said social issues are bound to be an aspect of what the Senate takes on.
“There are going to be a lot of social issues come up, like there always are and it’ll be the will of the caucus,” Smith said. “West Virginians spoke this last election, and there were a lot of things they were upset about at the national level and also the state level and they expect them to be addressed: boys in girls restrooms and stuff like that, and I agree 100% let’s bring common sense back to West Virginia.
“I think the people of America spoke also that they’re tired of the craziness. We’ve got to stop the craziness; we’ve got to stop some of the craziness so we’re not constantly dealing with crazy issues because they’re forced on us.”