By Joselyn King
The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register
WHEELING — At least four candidates — three of them women — want to succeed Shawn Fluharty as the next District 5 member in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Fluharty, D-Ohio, announced Friday he would not be seeking re-election, and would instead enter the West Virginia Senate District 1 race.
Filings were due at midnight Saturday. Filing throughout the day were Democrat Karen Stakem and Republican Elgine Heceta McArdle. Republican Beth Hinebaugh also announced on Saturday that she would be running for the seat, but had mailed her filing. Her name is not yet on the candidate list at the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office
The movement sets up a three-way GOP primary between Hinebaugh, McArdle and Riley Watkins — a student at West Liberty State College. Watkins. who operates his own fitness training business, had previously filed in the race.
McArdle, a Wheeling attorney, is the former chair of the WVGOP. She was a candidate for the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals in 2024.
Hinebaugh and her husband, Ed, own and operate several businesses and properties in Wheeling, including Noah’s Ark Child Care and Learning Center on Wheeling Island. She most recently ran for mayor of Wheeling in 2024.
Stakem, meanwhile, is the granddaughter of Thais Blatnik, who served in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate. She is also the sister of Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin, and has been an Ohio County Board of Education candidate.
Additional candidates still may be added to local ballots as mailed applications are received. Those applications had to be mailed by midnight on Saturday.
As it currently stands, there will not be contested races for commissioner or board of education in Ohio County.
Commission President Zach Abraham, a Republican, is the only candidate listed as filing in the commission race.
There are three seats up this year on the Ohio County Board of Education. Board president David Croft and member M. Andy Garber filed for re-election, though incumbent Molly Aderholt did not do so. Jerry Ames, president of the Ohio County School Service Personnel Association, has filed representing Aderholt’s Magisterial District 1.
Lack of school board candidates is not the case in Hancock County Schools, where the West Virginia Department of Education was forced to take over operations of the financially-strapped school district.
There are 11 candidates seeking to be on the Hancock County Board of Education, with three to be elected. They are Zach Adams, Melissa Bane, David Brown, Seth A. Cheuvront, Jack Crow, Ed Fields, Tiffany Gale, James Horstman, Curt Parkins, Michael Phelps and Jeff Woofter.
Statewide, there are two races with a large number of candidates.
The race for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by incumbent Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, has attracted 10 candidates — five Republicans and five Democrats.
Republicans in the race so far are Capito, Alexander Gaaserud, Janet McNulty, David Purkey and Tom Willis. Filing as Democrats are Rachel Fetty Anderson, Thornton Cooper, former West Virginia Senate President Jeffrey V. Kessler of Glen Dale, Rio Phillips and Zachary Shrewsbury.
There also are five candidates in the race for Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals-Division 1, unexpired term. Listed in the race are Laura V. Faircloth, Todd A. Kirby, H.L. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick, Martin P. “Red Hat” Sheehan of Wheeling and Gerald Titus.
A second Wheeling attorney, current Delegate Bill Flanigan, R-Ohio, has filed for Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals-Division 1, unexpired term. He will face Justice Tom Ewing, who was appointed to the court last year.
Other late filings of local note include Democrat Stephanie Spears Tomana for the U.S. House — District 2 in West Virginia. She will have a primary race against Ace Parsi and Steven Wendelin.
Republican Tony Viola is making a primary challenge against Delegate Jimmy Willis, R-Brooke, in House of Delegates District 2. Daniel Joseph Day has filed in the race as a Democrat.
Republican Don Dewitt will challenge Delegate Jeff Stephens, R-Marshall, for the District 6 House of Delegates GOP nomination. Cody Cumpston is the only Democratic candidate thus far seeking the District 6 seat.
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