(Money Matters - Photo Illustration - MetroCreative)
PARKERSBURG — An unopposed candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates 12th District in Wood County has raised the most campaign money for the reporting period, according to the pre-general financial disclosures filed with the secretary of state.
Delegate Vernon Criss, R-12th, chairman of the House Finance Committee, reported contributions of $12,450 for the reporting period and no expenditures.
Criss, running unopposed, reported contributions of $100 from the Bowles Rice PAC, $250 each from the West virginia Home Builders and the Reynolds American PAC, $500 from Elevance Health, First Energy PAC and Coca Cola PAC, $750 from the West Virginia Dental Association, $1,000 each from Scott Cunningham of Wheeling, West Virginia Realtors PAC, West Virginia Bankers West Virginia Deer Wholesalers and Norfolk Southern Good Government Fund and $2,800 each from the Arch Resources PAC and Operators Political Education Committee.
Criss also has the most in his campaign chest with contributions of $75,314. He reported expenditures of $400 year-to-date.
Pre-general election campaign finance reports cover the period from Oct. 1 to Oct. 20 and were due by Oct. 25. Fourth quarter 2024 financial disclosures will cover from Oct. 21 to Dec. 31 and are due by Jan. 7.
Criss was appointed to the House in 1987 and elected to a full term in 1988, elected to the old House 10th District from 2016-2022, then to the new single-representative 12th District in 2022.
Delegate Scot Heckert, R-13th, serving his first term in the House of Delegates, reported contributions of $3,400 for the period and expenditures of $1,956. Heckert reported contributions of $37,470 and expenditures of $20,336 for the election cycle year-to-date.
Heckert reported donations of $250 each from the WV Law PAC and the West Virginia Home Builders Association, $500 each from American Electric Power, Operators Political Education Committee and Arch PAC and $1,400 from the West Virginia Bankers PAC.
Delegate Bill Anderson, R-10th, a Republican running unopposed, reported no contributions and no expenditures for the reporting period. Total contributions for the election year to date are $36,290 and total expenditures were $862.
First-term Delegate Bob Fehrenbacher, R-11th, reported contributions of $2,500 and expenditures of $250 for the reporting period. He reported contributions to date of $19,253 and expenditures of $2,343.
Fehrenbacher reported contributions of $500 each from the First Energy Political Action Committee, the Marathon Petroleum Corp. PAC, Elevane Health PAC, West Virginia Realtors PAC and the gas and Oil PAC. Fehrenbacher is running unopposed.
The only contested House of Delegates race in Wood County is in the 14th District where incumbent Delegate Dave Foggin, a Republican, is running against Democrat Jim Marion. Both candidates reported no contributions or expenditures for the reporting period.
Foggin reported no contributions or expenditures for the election cycle. Marion reported contributions and expenditures of $105 for the year to date.
State Sen. Donna Boley, incumbent Republican in the 3rd Senatorial District, reported no contributions or expenditures for the reporting period. Boley reported contributions year-to-date of $12,095 and expenditures of $1,694.
Boley has been in the Senate since her appointment in 1985.
Early voting started on Wednesday and will continue through Saturday in West Virginia. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.