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PARKERSBURG - Trenton Barnhart was appointed to the West Virginia Senate seat opened by the retirement of Donna Boley earlier this year, but in order to finish out the term, he'll have to prevail in Tuesday's election over Constitution Party candidate Ronnie Green.
"I'm very committed to do everything I can to advance our communities and make West Virginia a place people not only want to come to but want to stay," said Barnhart, a 29-year-old St. Marys resident and business development officer for Citizens Bank of West Virginia. "I'm tired of seeing people leave our state for other opportunities."
Barnhart, R-Pleasants, was appointed to the vacant seat by Gov. Patrick Morrisey in January after being appointed to the House of Delegates in 2019 and winning reelection three times. District 3 includes Pleasants, Ritchie, Wood and Wirt counties. The other seat is occupied by Sen. Mike Azinger, R-Wood, who faces Democrat Caci Petrehn of Parkersburg in the General Election. The district's two senators cannot be residents of the same county.
"We've eliminated over a billion dollars of tax burden on the people of West Virginia" over the course of his tenure, Barnhart said, citing income tax reductions and the elimination of the tax on Social Security. He also pointed to the personal property tax rebate program and a credit for small businesses on the business and inventory tax, both passed in 2023.
Barnhart said he's running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, pointing to budget surpluses that have allowed additional money to be directed to tax relief, economic development, tourism and pay raises for state employees.
Green, 58, of Elizabeth, is an operations manager for Locomote Express. He said he was approached by fellow Constitution Party members about running and would, as a senator, support and vote within the confines of the state and federal constitutions. He said he wants to focus on getting back to the founding fathers' original intentions.
"I'm not a politician, but I think (that) could be a plus," Green said. "I think the people in there (the Legislature) are just yes to the party, yes to the party."
Green said issues that are important to him include protecting people's First and Second Amendment rights and advocating for medical freedom, such as in cases of students being kept out of school for not receiving mandatory vaccinations.
"I think people have a right to say what goes into their own body," he said.
Green said he supports fiscal responsibility and accountability and is always in favor of lower taxes.
"As I approach retirement age myself, I am especially interested in eliminating property taxes for seniors," he said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.