West Virginia State House District 38

Current seat holder: Joe Ellington (Republican).

Randa Faulkner

Randa D. Faulkner is a Democrat from Princeton in Mercer County running for the West Virginia House of Delegates in District 38. She has previously run for the same seat and also serves in local Democratic Party activity in Mercer County. Faulkner owns a small ATV dealership chain, according to Mountain State Spotlight . In a 2024 candidate Q&A, she discussed several issues affecting Mercer County, including economic development, healthcare, homelessness and support for small businesses. She said she would support sustainable community grants, programs for women- and minority-owned businesses, incentives for younger entrepreneurs, business incubators and cultural centers. Faulkner said she supported affordable healthcare and discussed increasing funding for the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA). She also connected homelessness with mental health, substance use and the need for affordable housing. She is openly against data centers and HB 2014 .

“I would advocate for sustainable community grants, encourage and apply for programs promoting female and minority owned businesses, with incentives for younger entrepreneurs. Reinventing our community to be more inclusive and progress forward, while promoting sustainability, business incubators, and cultural centers. With a slate of 4 Democratic representatives, Mercer County would have a strong voice for revitalization and change.” (Mountain State Spotlight Candidate Q&A)

Joe Ellington

Joe C. Ellington Jr. is a Republican from Princeton and the incumbent delegate representing House District 38. He is a physician and has served in the West Virginia House since first being elected in 2010. His education includes a bachelor’s degree from Guilford College, graduate degrees from Duke University and a medical degree from Wake Forest University. He completed his medical residency at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Michigan and is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Ellington has held several leadership positions in the House. He has chaired the Health and Human Resources Committee and served as chairman of the Education Committee. In January 2026, he was promoted to Deputy Speaker of the House. He also serves on the Banking and Insurance, Education, Finance, Public Education and Rules committees. During the 2026 legislative session, Ellington sponsored bills involving chronic absenteeism, school funding, financial aid, school personnel and student transcripts. His legislative work has made education a major part of his record.

“Our education team didn't use the previous session adjournment as a reason to stop working on solutions to the major issues we know our communities across the state are facing, so we didn't want to disrupt that work going into this session, but it became clear right away that our Committee will keep working hard on their efforts to improve education,” (West Virginia Legislature News Release (wvlegislature.gov))
“Speaker Hanshaw had been looking for someone to put in the second Deputy Speaker position after the resignation of now-Secretary Kelly, and I'm honored to serve in that lineup.” (West Virginia Legislature News Release (wvlegislature.gov))
“Many of us have leaned on him for his counsel, but now in this new role we will be relying on him for even more input and counsel in a wider area of policy.” (West Virginia Legislature News Release (wvlegislature.gov))