Ron Stollings says he hopes that his record, as well as his plan forward, will help his constituents make the choice to elect him for another term in the West Virginia State Senate serving District 7, which covers Logan, Lincoln, Boone and southern Kanawha counties. Stollings, a Democrat, is challenged by former U.S. District Attorney Mike Stuart, a Republican. The two will face off in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Ron Stollings (D)
The Boone County native and Madison area physician is the incumbent senator representing District 7. Stollings has held the seat since 2006.
He is a practicing board-certified physician for the Southern West Virginia Health System and Boone Memorial Health.
“I’ve always championed the healthcare reform in any bills that we’ve done regarding healthcare,” Stollings said. “Frequently, I’ve helped with that, trying to cap the cost of insulin and keep rural hospitals open. My health background has played a pretty big role.”
He said he has focused on efforts to dedicate coal severance tax more heavily to the county of origin, legislation to help manufacturing companies build on post-mine land sites through tax credits for the first five years of operation and expansion of broadband services.
One issue Stollings said he’d like to address is child welfare and tackling the root factors of what causes children to end up in the state’s foster system. He said the issue is a difficult one.
Stollings said he supports expanding dental care into adult Medicaid services.
“We know that oral health is a big deal,” Stollings said. “I chair the select committee on oral health, and a lot of good legislation came out of that. The dentists know about it.”
Stollings has served on a number of committees in his 16-year Senate career, including economic development, education, finance, health and human resources, natural resources and workforce. Stollings said the area needs more high-paying jobs.
“What we need, frankly, are manufacturing type jobs, you know, jobs that would be along the same lines as if you were a coal miner,” Stollings said. “We need good-paying jobs, we need a good tax base and again, another thing I’ve done in my 16 years is I’ve supported coal miners and the coal industry. I’ve voted to try to keep coal happening.”
Prior to being elected to the Senate, Stollings served as a member of the University System Board of Trustees and the Higher Education Policy Commission, and served as chairman of the Corridor G Regional Economic Development Authority Board of Directors. Stollings has earned numerous professional titles and awards and also once served as president of the West Virginia State Medical Association.
Mike Stuart (R)
Republican Mike Stuart said he hopes that his policy ideas will “make West Virginia great” if constituents choose him to be the next state senator to represent District 7.
That’s the slogan the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, who served under former President Donald Trump, is running on.
Stuart held the position from January 2018 until his resignation in February 2021 — early in the term of current President Joe Biden.
Originally from Philippi in Barbour County, Stuart now resides in the Alum Creek area of southern Kanawha County.
Stuart champions coal as an “abundantly clean resource” that still has a long life ahead. He also supports drilling and fracking, saying that companies who push so-called “green” agendas stand to make large profits if the energy industry dominance is switched over.
“When I hear people say that coal is the past or coal is not a part of our future, I think they’re wrong,” Stuart said. “I think our technology will find ways of making coal an abundantly clean resource. I grew up in a holler in Barbour County with a creek that ran orange from acid mine drainage, and today, that creek runs blue, and it’s filled with fish. The industry is far cleaner than it used to be.”
Stuart, who has made several campaign stops at events in the region, said its infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, is largely in disrepair. Stuart said the state has too often focused on main, primary roads instead of some of the smaller offshoots in need of repair.
On the issue of the drug epidemic, Stuart said he understands the issue, thanks to his experience as a U.S. district attorney. Stuart said he carries with him a wallet filled with photos of young people who died of overdoses while he was U.S. attorney.
“That wallet, I carry it not as a prop but so I can always remind myself of what we’re fighting for,” Stuart said.
“When I grew up, the people doing drugs were ‘those people.’ The problem today is the people doing drugs? They’re our neighbors. They’re our kids. They’re our cousins.”
He continued, “They’re the people we go to church with. It’s every demographic — rich and poor, black and white, you name it — drugs have pervaded our society, and so I think we need a proper balance of second chances and redemption and embracing those folks that are trying to recover, because it’ll be the hardest thing they’ll ever do in their lives, but at the same time, we’ve got to be firmer and tougher on the drug dealer.”
On that point, Stuart said he feels the justice system has “gone soft” on drug dealers, saying the country as a whole needs to be tougher on the supply lines and cartels coming from places like Mexico and China.
Stuart said each county within the district needs long-term rehabilitation facilities that go beyond the typical 90 days.
Other issues Stuart says he supports are tightening the state’s ethics laws, strengthening domestic violence laws and lobbyist reform. Stuart also says the district needs more recreational things to do, such as regional athletic facilities reminiscent of the Shawnee Sports Complex in the Dunbar area.
Stuart holds a juris doctor from the Boston University School of Law and currently works as a corporate attorney. Prior to serving as U.S. district attorney, he was chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party from 2010 to 2012 and was co-chairman of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign in West Virginia.
