Voters Guide US Senate
Voters’ Guide May 13, 2014 West Virginia Primary Election
This candidate information is brought to you by the League of Women Voters of West Virginia as a public service. Candidate responses are printed exactly as received, including spelling, grammar and content. Candidates’ responses were limited to 50 words.
Republican Candidates for United States Senate
CANDIDATE Larry Eugene Butcher
County of residence Wood
Party Republican
Biography
Single, male, 62, father, one son, USAF veteran…….$.50 hr. 66-68; $1.00/hr. 69-71
skilled craftsman till 2000, after helper to my parents they passed away..
I am free to fight the good fight. Honest hard working fools make all the rest of this world possible. Only honest hard work can save us.
Question 1. What changes in federal laws would you favor that would better protect people and our water resources from chemical spills?
Response: Mother nature gave us water, minerals and many compounds. Mankind learned chemistry and now we have many new compounds. Money in politics pays nothing for true science or simple truth. Father time will bring reason to the many, no matter the wishes of the few. We vote now for only one US Senator, let not the money choose for us.
Question 2. What steps should the federal government take to reduce the number of Americans living in poverty?
Response: Tax capital wealth! Trickle down never happened. Money managers formerly took 10% now taking 40% of profits. Wages are buying less, traders are taking more. Corporate raiders are greed incarnate. Job bosses follow, with stock prices up. We, the working class, put all our wages back in the economy. Reduce taxes on incomes below 10X poverty level, raise taxes above 10X.
Question 3. In view of recent Supreme Court decisions, what steps do you think Congress should take to protect the rights of all American voters?
Response: Selective service registration should be automatic voter registration. Congress should declare Citizens United as unconstitutional. Corporations never feel the pain of parenthood when a child is lost in an unlawful war. To think that war profits could then be used to control politics is unamerican double down.
CANDIDATE Shelley Moore Capito
County of residence Kanawha
Party Republican
Candidate did not reply
CANDIDATE Matthew Dodrill
County of residence Wood
Party Republican
Biography
Matthew has resided in Parkersburg, WV for his entire life. He graduated from PHS in 1997 and from WVUP in 2002 with studies in business. He joined his family’s real estate business in 2003. Given Matthew’s knowledge of the business world, he would be an excellent candidate for bringing a thriving job market to WV.
Question 1. What changes in federal laws would you favor that would better protect people and our water resources from chemical spills?
Response: Ultimately, putting the power of regulations back into the hands of the state. The people living and working in WV know best how to regulate the industries. This should be a matter the state and local governments handle, not the federal. The federal can guide states, but the real power of decision should lie with the people.
Question 2. What steps should the federal government take to reduce the number of Americans living in poverty?
Response: Better structured programs that do not enable people to continue to live in poverty but rather are the hand up to a brighter future. Eased restrictions on businesses, allowing them to hire more people for longer hours. Push hands on education for careers that are capable of supporting families.
Question 3. In view of recent Supreme Court decisions, what steps do you think Congress should take to protect the rights of all American voters?
Response: Congress should unite and impeach the justices that do not uphold the constitution. The power to write laws was never meant to be in the hands of Supreme Court; that is the job of Congress. This misuse of the checks and balances system our government is meant to have puts us on a path to tyranny.
Democratic Candidates for Unites States Senate CANDIDATE Dennis Melton
County of residence Lewis
Party Democratic
Candidate did not reply
CANDIDATE Natalie Tennant
County of residence Kanawha
Party Democratic
Biography
Growing up as the youngest of seven on our family farm, I learned how to do more with less. I brought those West Virginia values to the Secretary of State’s office, where I cut the budget and gave $3 million back to taxpayers. I’m running to bring those values to the Senate and put West Virginia first – www.natalietennant.com.
Question 1. What changes in federal laws would you favor that would better protect people and our water resources from chemical spills?
Response: West Virginia deserves better. We have a responsibility to make sure this never happens again. I support the Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Protection Act, which sets standards, requires inspections and makes sure companies pay for cleanup. I fought for medical testing and loans for small businesses that had to shut down. I will keep fighting for answers and accountability.
Question 2. What steps should the federal government take to reduce the number of Americans living in poverty?
Response: Anyone who works hard for 40 hours a week should be able to feed their family and pay the mortgage. It’s time to raise the minimum wage. West Virginia has what it takes to lead the country in high-paying manufacturing, technology and energy jobs. Let’s end tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas and invest in West Virginia jobs.
Question 3. In view of recent Supreme Court decisions, what steps do you think Congress should take to protect the rights of all American voters?
Response: The freedom of the people to elect their representatives is a cornerstone of Democracy. I support updating the Voting Rights Act to protect the rights of all eligible citizens to cast a ballot.
There is too much secret, special interest money influencing our elections. I support limits on out-of-state special interest money.
CANDIDATE David B. Wamsley
County of residence Wood
Party Democratic
Biography
Born to poverty, I received a full scholarship to Wesleyan, taught school, and received a graduate assistantship in School Psychology at Miami University, Ohio. I’ve been a self-employed School Psychologist for 33 years; conducted 19,000+ psycheducational evaluations and driven 2 million WV miles. I have invested in real estate, roofed houses, and I am a licensed Master plumber. Website: www.wamsleyforsenate.com.
Question 1. What changes in federal laws would you favor that would better protect people and our water resources from chemical spills?
Response: All chemical and industrial sites should have an automatic emergency action plan, scheduled inspections based on specific industry standards, and a self-funded bond/insurance for coverage of liability. I also propose automated continuous water testing sensors integrated to a central databank and strict criminal penalties for violations.
Question 2. What steps should the federal government take to reduce the number of Americans living in poverty?
Response: Vocational Education for 40 percent of 8th grade and above students would provide marketable job skills. Free healthcare would resolve a number of physical and mental health issues, providing a more eager and able workforce. Let’s stop wasting money in foreign countries. We need to incentivize companies to bring jobs back to America.
Question 3. In view of recent Supreme Court decisions, what steps do you think Congress should take to protect the rights of all American voters?
Response: The U.S. Congress must pass legislation to address the unbalanced impact of Citizens United and Speechnow Supreme Court decisions. In addition, no American should be at risk of losing the right to vote because they reside in a state using voter ID laws to interfere with select groups of citizens.
May 2014 Primary US Senate web.docx