Current seat holder: Ben Queen (R).
Lynette Murray is originally from Buckhannon but she now lives in Harrison County. This is her first election. She spent nearly a decade as a journalist before switching to politics. Murray describes herself as a resident who decided to act out of frustration over problems affecting West Virginia residents that still have not been fixed. She left her previous job because of a medical emergency, and the medical bills forced her to take an extended leave from work. Murray’s campaign wants to focus on getting more West Virginians clean drinking water, as well as improving the education system in the state. Murray also wants to help make the medical services in the state more consistent, as many hospitals in the state are unreliable. Murray has lived in West Virginia for the last 43 years and has the goal of improving the state and listening to what residents want instead of what she wants.
· Candidate campaign website & Ballotpedia (secondary source)
Ben Queen is a 31-year-old resident of Bridgeport, West Virginia. Queen has served as a West Virginia state senator representing the 12th District since 2022. He was born in Clarksburg and grew up in Bridgeport, where he still lives today. Queen was first elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2016. He served as a member of the House until 2022, when he was elected to the Senate. His professional background includes being a photographer and media entrepreneur. Queen owns a local photography business and runs it in addition to his duties as a senator. According to his campaign, Queen plans on finding ways to create more jobs in West Virginia. He says he’s focused on increasing the workforce participation rate, in which West Virginia ranks last in the United States.