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Republican nomination contested in West Virginia House of Delegates 13th District

PARKERSBURG – The campaign for the Republican nomination for the West Virginia House of Delegates 13th District seat is contested this year.

Del. Scot Heckert, R-Wood, is running against Melissa McCrady, with the winner in the May 12 primary to run against Democrat Marley Umensetter, who is unopposed.

Early voting continues through May 9 in West Virginia.

Heckert, 57, is running for a third term in the House. He is chairman of the Public Health Committee and is on the Health and Human Resources, Homeland Security, Human Services and Judiciary committees.

“I’ve never treated this job as a title. I treat it as a responsibility,” Heckert said. “I’ve served in the House, worked through committee processes and been on the floor making the tough decisions. I understand how legislation actually moves, where it gets stopped and how to get results.”

Heckert said he has built relationships, understands the system and knows “how to get things done for Wood County, not just talk about it.

“More importantly, I don’t just show up during election season. I’ve been present,” he said. “Whether it’s helping constituents navigate state agencies, working through child welfare issues or fighting for practical solutions in health care and energy, I’ve stayed engaged.”

The most pressing need in Wood County and the district is affordability and stability for working families, Heckert said.

“People are feeling it every day: electric bills, health care costs, groceries,” he said. “When families are deciding between paying utilities or buying necessities, that’s a problem we can’t ignore.”

The state needs to protect and grow good-paying local jobs, he said.

“That means making sure economic development actually benefits our communities, not just outside interests, and making sure infrastructure, workforce training and small businesses are supported here at home,” Heckert said.

The biggest challenge across West Virginia is balancing growth with accountability, Heckert said.

“We’re seeing investments and opportunities come in, but the real question is: who benefits?” Heckert said. “Are we building long-term strength for our communities, or just short-term wins that don’t translate into better lives for our people?”

The legislation needed to benefit the most residents in Wood County and the district is legislation that directly impacts their daily lives, he said. That includes energy affordability protections so ratepayers aren’t carrying the burden alone; health care workforce and access improvements, especially in rural areas; stronger accountability on how state dollars are invested with clear returns for communities; child welfare reforms that protect kids while improving the system for families and caseworkers; and support for small businesses and local industry, not just large outside corporations.

“The focus should be simple,” Heckert said. “If we pass it, people should feel it.”

Heckert said he is a businessman and he comes from a “working background that understands the realities people face every day.”

“That perspective matters, because the decisions we make in Charleston affect real people, real families, and real livelihoods,” he said.

McCrady, 42, is a project engineer and manager and a co-owner of J&M Bookstore.

“I am a conservative Republican who believes that liberty and freedom are our God-given rights. I understand and recognize that our freedom is slipping away bit by bit, and I refuse to believe we have to live with that as a reality,” she said. “This state needs individuals who will stand up and deliver on our Republican principles, liberty and freedom for all. I count myself as one of those individuals.”

Opportunity is the most pressing need in Wood County and in District 13, McCrady said. That includes the “opportunity to raise our children as parents and guardians in the way we see best and for those children to learn in the best possible environment. Opportunity for our teens and young adults to learn a trade or go to college then stay in West Virginia to earn a good living. Opportunity for our adults to interact in a free market that inspires growth. Opportunity for our elderly to feel secure in their choice to spend the later part of their life in this wonderful, beautiful state free from worry that tomorrow’s generations will not have the same opportunities they have had,” she said. “To have opportunity, the government needs to get out of the way and let her people survive and thrive based on their own decisions. Less government in our day-to-day lives will spark our best opportunities.”

Repeal of the state Healht Care Authority’s certificate of need regulatory process is among the most pressing needs across the state, McCrady said.

“This particular piece of legislation is what allows the current medical landscape to limit competition and obscure other feasible medical options from entering this state,” she said “Twelve states have totally repealed CON and many more have severely limited the scope of their CON laws. West Virginia maintains an active CON program and due to this program, West Virginia is seriously handicapped in terms of medical choice.”

McCrady said she doesn’t necessarily believe a single piece of legislation will profit residents in such a way “that it ‘fixes’ all the problems in this very broken system we call government.

“What I do believe is that one single conservative vote at a time will resolve into a stance of putting the people of Wood County and District 13 and their freedom first over any bureaucracy and over any political games,” she said. “The people of our county and district deserve people who care about them in their government and who exhibit this one vote at a time. Freedom and liberty are only a breath away from being stolen and I don’t want this to happen on my watch.”

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