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PARKERBURG - After defeating a sitting West Virginia House of Delegates member in May, the Republican nominee for the 13th District faces a Democrat and an independent candidate in the general election.
Melissa McCrady, who won the GOP primary over incumbent Del. Scot Heckert, is on the Nov. 3 ballot with Democrat Marley Umensetter and independent James Hendershot Jr.
McCrady, a project engineer and manager, also is the co-owner of J&M Bookstore.
Two issues are among the most pressing in the district and the state, including banning Flock surveillance cameras and all mass surveillance without proper warrants, McCrady said.
"We have the 4th Amendment for a reason," McCrady said.
Another is the repeal of Certificate of Need, McCrady, 42, said. Certificate of Need requires health care providers obtain state regulatory approval before major construction, buying major equipment or expanding services.
"CON allows the current medical monopoly to limit competition and obscure other feasible medical options from entering this state," McCrady said. "The reason we have only WVU Medicine and no other hospitals in Wood County is due to this law. West Virginia maintains an active and rigorous CON program and due to this program West Virginia is seriously handicapped in terms of medical choice unlike surrounding states."
McCrady's committee preferences include Education, Finance, Health and Human Resources.
Property taxes and the cost of living are the biggest problems facing residents in the district and the state, McCrady said.
"It is hard to think or act on anything if you are negotiating survival," McCrady said.
Two problems are the most critical facing public education in West Virginia, McCrady said.
"First, we need to update the school funding formula," McCrady said. "Second, more bureaucrats and larger board offices have led to administrative bloat and budget mismanagement, leaving us with less teachers and aids in the classroom, surrendering the children of Wood County to the repercussions."
McCrady said she would vote to repeal or at a minimum amend the data center bill House Bill 2014 passed in 2025 that exempts microgrid providers and data centers from local codes and land-use regulations.
"We need local-level control and to have stipulations in place to preserve West Virginians' land from eminent domain seizure," McCrady said. "Also put in place groundwater guardrails and environmental buffers."
Among bills supported by Democrats but that McCrady would oppose is Raylee's Law, which died on the last day of the 2026 session. Raylee's Law, HB 5669, temporarily prohibits someone from homeschooling a child if a child abuse or neglect investigation against a parent or guardian is pending.
"This is a violation of due process. If there is suspicion of malfeasance, there is a lawful process by which situations are assessed and prosecuted," McCrady said. "A violation of the 14th Amendment is never acceptable."
Umensetter, 26, is a mother and a life-long West Virginian who grew up in Lubeck. She graduated from Parkersburg South High School and is working on an associate's degree in veterinary technology.
"My top priorities within my district are lowering utility costs and passing anti-surveillance legislation to protect our right to privacy and put an end to the use of ALPR cameras (like Flock) within our communities," Umensetter said. "My top priorities across the state are ensuring that every West Virginian has access to clean water, prioritizing our public schools so that every child has access to a quality education and making sure that West Virginians have a voice in data center decisions."
Umensetter's committee preferences include Education, Energy and Public Works and Government Organization, but said she would work hard to represent the district in any committee to which she's assigned.
"The issue I've heard most often from people while knocking on doors in my district is rising utility costs. The West Virginia Public Service Commission is responsible for protecting our residents from unfair utility rate hikes, which they've failed to do," Umensetter said. "These positions are currently appointed by the governor, but I believe they should be elected by the people in order to hold them accountable for the decisions they make on our behalf."
West Virginians struggle to afford basic necessities to survive, Umensetter said.
"We hear a lot about bringing new business and new people into West Virginia, but we aren't even taking care of the people we have here now. Nobody should have to choose between keeping the lights on or putting food on the table," Umensetter said. "Every person living in our state should have access to clean water. We shouldn't be forced to foot the bill for infrastructure being built to serve data centers."
A problem facing public education in West Virginia is the Legislature hasn't made it a priority, Umensetter said.
"Our state Legislature has been aware of the steps we need to take to address the issues our public education system is facing for a long time. Unfortunately, public education hasn't been made a priority in recent legislative sessions and no meaningful action has been taken to begin working in the right direction," Umensetter said.
The school funding formula must be modernized to provide more resources to school districts with higher rates of students with special needs and higher rates of students living in poverty, both of which require more resources than the average student, Umensetter said.
"In addition to that, we need to place guardrails on the HOPE voucher program to make sure that those funds are only going to students that need them and that they're only being spent on educational services and materials within the state of West Virginia," Umensetter said. "Public schools are the only schools that are accessible to every child living in our state. It's essential that we keep them our number one priority to ensure that all of West Virginia's children have access to a quality education, regardless of their zip code or financial status."
Umensetter would vote to repeal HB 2014 so West Virginians would have a say in when, where and if a data center is going to be built in their community, Umensetter said.
"House Bill 2014 stripped away almost all local control over data center development and regulation," Umensetter said. "Data centers pose a large risk for the communities that they're built within. West Virginians should have a say in development decisions that have the potential to negatively impact their lives."
Umensetter would vote to reinstate the civil service protections removed from state workers in recent legislative sessions and vote to repeal the PEIA reform.
"As a young mom, I understand the struggles of trying to find and afford child care in West Virginia. I fully support the Republican sponsored child care legislation that was recently passed (HB 4191) because it will help reduce the child care shortage we're currently facing," Umensetter said. "Once elected, I hope to expand access to affordable child care throughout the state even further so that all of our working-class families have the resources they need to actually go to work."
Umensetter also will support anti-surveillance legislation to put an end to the use of ALPR cameras like Flock in the state.
"This is a very bipartisan issue and I will happily work across the aisle to ensure it's addressed quickly," Umensetter said.
Hendershot, 23, a sales associate, of Parkersburg said he was not happy with the choices available in this race after the May primary. He declared his candidacy in July.
"I was not happy with either of my options for delegate and people began telling me that I should run," Hendershot said. "I gave it some thought and decided to jump into the race and give people that third independent option who is really going to focus on Wood County issues and try to address the everyday problems here. I don't want to do it in a partisan way. I want to address the problems however I can."
He has not held public office before, but he ran for Parkersburg City Council in 2024 and was not successful.
Hendershot wants to reduce income taxes and work on infrastructure.
"A lot of our infrastructure is aging and needs to either be replaced or repaired," he said.
Concern is growing about Flock surveillance cameras and the rise of data centers and what those could mean to people in the area.
"I have spoken to people about it and it is something I want to address down in Charleston," Hendershot said.
West Virginia needs to ban Flock cameras and the other ALPR cameras, he said. At the very least, he wants to ban state, county or city governments from entering into contracts for them.
"People are really worried about their 4th Amendment rights and I want to help with that and I want to be a champion for all people's rights," Hendershot said.
People also are concerned with property taxes and teachers’ pay as well as how Hope Scholarships are distributed.
"Those are things I'm taking into account," Hendershot said.
He also wants to foster an environment to help small business owners and people looking to start small businesses.
"I want to be part of a Legislature that is really all about the people," Hendershot said.
His immediate priority is bringing jobs to Wood County, reduce the state income tax and "chipping away" at the personal property tax. He wants to address general infrastructure issues like roads, water availability and quality broadband access.
"I am running primarily to put people over party and be that third option that actually addresses Wood County problems and focus on Wood County first and of course District 13," Hendershot said. "At the end of the day, I am happy that I have earned a lot of supporters, reached out to a lot of people and done everything I can. I look forward to hopefully serving as the next delegate from District 13."
Staff Writer Brett Dunlap contributed to this story.