— *** Newspaper Endorsements 2014 ***—
WHEELING, W.Va. — West Virginians need a U.S. senator who will fight for us without regard to political interests. For years, Rep. Shelley Capito has been doing that for part of our state. On Election Day, voters should send her to the Senate to stand up for all of us.
On two major issues – President Barack Obama’s war on coal and reasonably priced electricity, and Obamacare – Capito has been staunch in representing West Virginians’ best interests. She has opposed both federal power grabs.
Her opponent, Natalie Tennant, has defended Obamacare. She claims she would fight Environmental Protection Agency plans to devastate the coal industry.
But Tennant campaigned vigorously for Obama in 2008 – and again in 2012 after he launched his assault on the coal industry. Just as important, Tennant refuses to say that, if elected, she would vote against keeping Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in that position. Reid has blocked every attempt to rein in the EPA.
Capito’s record is one of standing up for West Virginians, even when that means refusing to go along with leaders of her party.
An example of her proactive approach came just a few weeks ago when she acted against a looming threat by the EPA. While most attention to that agency focuses on air pollution rules, EPA officials have been setting the stage quietly to establish harsh new regulations on water. That could affect many West Virginians, including farmers, adversely. Capito voted to prevent that.
On other issues of importance, she has pro-West Virginia values which inspired a firm pro-life stance, support of job-creating small businesses and voting against big corporations when she believed Mountain State values dictated such action.
Capito has said that while she insists on steps to ensure Social Security and Medicare remain healthy, she would not vote to “privatize” either system.
Capito, endorsed by the National Rifle Association, is a firm defender of Second Amendment rights.
Tennant urges voters to trust her, in effect. Capito has earned trust by representing the state’s Second Congressional District in the House. Elected first in 2000, she has been returned by voters six times. In 2012, she won re-election with nearly 70 percent of the vote.
One-third of our state has come to rely on Capito. The Intelligencer endorses Capito because West Virginia needs her in the Senate and we all can rely on her there. On Election Day, voters should send Shelley Capito to the Senate.
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