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July 31, 2020
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Three Eastern Panhandle residents have joined legislative races in the Nov. 3 general election ahead of Monday's filing deadline for independent and minor-party candidates.
Hedgesville, W.Va., business owner Patricia "Patch" Adams and communications specialist Robert E. Smith have both filed for the 59th District seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Adams, 57, is not affiliated with any political party, and Smith, 23, also of the Hedgesville area, is the Mountain Party's nominee.
They will be running against Republican Morgan County Commissioner Ken Reed.
In Jefferson County, Republican Elliot Simon, 65, was appointed Tuesday by the Jefferson County Republican Executive Committee to fill a vacancy in District 67, the West Virginia Secretary of State's office and the executive committee confirmed Thursday. Simon replaces Mark Everhart, who withdrew from the race.
Simon, a retired executive and consultant, will face incumbent Del. John Doyle, D-Jefferson, in the election.
“I am honored that the Executive Committee has shown this confidence in me, and I will work to live up to it,” Simon said in a Thursday news release.
“These are tumultuous times and I will work to earn the trust of the voters in the 67th District. We need to come together to ensure that the craziness going on in other states does not find a home here in West Virginia.”
Simon was defeated by Doyle in 2010 and former Del. Stephen Skinner in 2012 in previous campaigns for the 100-member House.
The 67th District includes Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown in Jefferson County.
Adams said Wednesday that her campaign was prompted by the defeat of incumbent Larry D. Kump, R-Berkeley/Morgan, in the June primary election.
Reed received more than 57% of the vote to defeat Kump, who received about 42%, according to official results.
The 59th District includes the communities of Hedgesville, Cherry Run, Jones Spring and The Woods in the two counties.
"I would not have filed had (Kump) won," Adams said.
On her campaign website, Adams notes her leadership roles with the Blue Ridge Patriots, a conservative political action committee, her former role as a trustee with the Berkeley County Republican Club and membership in the Eastern Panhandle Business Association.
The elections division of Secretary of State Mac Warner's office confirmed that Adams had submitted enough signatures to get on the general election ballot as a candidate who is not affiliated with any political party. Adams was required to gather 73 signatures on a nominating certificate to get on the ballot.
Smith said in a March announcement that he decided to run for the 59th District seat when no candidates other than Kump and Reed had filed for election. No Democrat has filed for the House seat.
"Initially, I had zero intention to run for office, but when I learned that the voters of the 59th District would have no choice for Delegate in the General Election, the decision to run became clear as day," Smith said in a campaign announcement in March.
In a video post on Facebook in April, Smith recited the "West Virginia Can't Wait" candidate pledge and indicated he also had endorsed the political movement's platform. West Virginia Can't Wait is a political organization that was spearheaded by Democrat candidate for governor Stephen Smith, who was defeated in the June primary election by Ben Salango.
Smith said on his website that he serves as "communication lead" for the Mountain Party of West Virginia and is a lead party organizer for the Eastern Panhandle region.
Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates are elected to two-year terms and are paid an annual base salary of $20,000.
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