Thanks to the West Virginia Daily News for allowing me to respond to the op-ed by Jim Umberger who was my primary opponent in the Southern Congressional District in the 2024 election.
My first attempt at obtaining political office was when I ran for the West Virginia House of Delegates on the Mountain Party ticket I 2016 for the 39th District (Mink Shoals, Big Chimney, and Cross Lanes). I was unopposed for the Primary, and I finished third in the General election behind the incumbent Republican Ron Walters and the runner-up Democrat Wes Holden. Holden would go on to be one of my opponents I the 2024 General Election, running as an Independent.
In 2022, I tested the waters for a possible Congressional run on the Mountain Party ticket, but the leadership of the party was not interested in challenging the Congressional seat that was and still is held by Carol Miller. Therefore, in July 2024, I switched my Party affiliation to Democrat, and then filed to run for Congress on the first day of the filing period in January 2024.
Umberger certainly is not the only West Virginia Democrat to suggest that I “did virtually no campaigning.” It is a little perplexing to suggest that I did not campaign when I won the primary election with a majority of the votes. It is true that I did not put out yard signs or attend many functions held by the Democrat party, though I did attend a meet-the-candidate forum in Jackson County as well as the Convention that was held in Charleston.
My refusal to back Kamala Harris caused consternation with elements of the West Virginia Democratic Party. (I based the decision on Harris’ refusal to break with the Biden Administration’s support for what the International Court of Justice describes as “plausible genocide” in Gaza, and the fact that Harris achieved ballot access by what is best described as a coronation). I did not feel entirely welcome at Democratic Party events.
I ran my campaign the best way I knew fit. It is worth noting that I won the Primary fair and square, while Harris never appeared on a primary ballot in West Virginia. So, who is the real Democrat?
The General Election results for Congress and the Board of Public Works suggest to e that it was a losing strategy for West Virginia Democrats to tie themselves to the Harris campaign. All four seats in Congress, as well as the seats in the Board of Public Works, are now controlled by Republicans. Democrats now hold eleven seats in the state legislature.
I travelled around the state, spending time at festivals and celebrations, healthcare fairs, theme days at the Legislature, visiting county libraries, and engaging with individuals in their hometowns. I campaigned on the message of investing in education and infrastructure, exiting our forever wars, and
ending our harmful sanction regimes. I ran for Congress to represent everyone in the district, not to win a popularity contest with just the followers of one political party.
Sincerely,
Chris Bob Reed
