CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Republicans will be choosing their next chair next Saturday the annual summer meeting in Morgantown.
Current Chair Matt Herridge announced his resignation last weekend saying that his other role as secretary of commerce, which Gov. Patrick Morrisey appointed him to in January, needed his undivided attention.
Not long after Herridge sent in his resignation letter, U.S. Senator Jim Justice endorsed Boone County Delegate Josh Holstein to be the new leader of the WVGOP.
Holstein, who is just 23-years old, says his young age isn’t any sort of hinderance.
“I think it’s an advantage. I was 18 when I filed to run for the House of Delegates the first time. I knocked on around 1,100 doors in the span of 14 months or so, and I was able to prove myself to people, relay some of their concerns maybe with my age, just by having a discussion with them and answering all of their questions,” Holstein said.
Holstein, the eighth-generation coal miner, says his generation is most concerned with being able to sustain themselves.
“Something that really unites the younger generation is affordability and cost of living and being able to live outside of your parents’ home. That’s what a lot of folks that I’ve talked to are saying,” Holstein said.
Dr. Michael George is another candidate for the chair position. George, who is a published author, businessman and public speaker, says this is a key time in the party’s history.
“We are at a point in the state where we have an opportunity to really help get our message out there in a way that is practical and positive. A lot of times, we don’t know how to communicate our conservative values with clarity, with confidence and with hope,” George said.
George says he knows how to help Republican leaders in the state.
“I want to travel to the counties. I want to be able to lead these counties, help them to share this message that we know are our conservative West Virginia values. I want to make sure that our leaders are prepared for interviews, or debates, or public appearances that connect with everyday voters.
The third candidate throwing his hat in the ring is Wes Perry from Brooke County, who served the country for over two decades.
“Wes Perry is a retired Army veteran who was upset with the state of the country and worried about the direction it was taking and all that had gone into those 22 years,” Perry said.
Perry thinks West Virginia is a sleeping giant in America.
“We are on the cusp of becoming the next, say, Tennessee, Florida, or Texas,” Perry said. “If you look at those three states, they’re booming. They’re off the charts in population growth and opportunity and business and free market idea and just individual liberty. West Virginia is right there ready to bust out and be a nationwide leader.”