Release from the W.Va. Senate Democrats:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Senator Paul Hardesty (D-Logan) announced this week that he will not be a candidate for the West Virginia State Senate in the 2020 election. Hardesty’s statement follows:
“After careful consideration and input from my family, I have decided not to run for the District 7 Senate seat in the 2020 election.
“I felt like I needed to make this decision and announcement early. We are 90-plus days away from the start of the filing period. I wanted to give any and all persons interested in running for the seat ample time to make plans and decisions with regards to this important position. If I waited until the holidays to make a decision, I would feel it to be irresponsible and disrespectful to the constituents I serve.
“I want to thank Governor Jim Justice for appointing me to the State Senate. It has truly been an honor and a privilege. I will continue to serve the fine people of the 7th Senatorial District for the remainder of my appointed term.
“I sincerely hope that whoever chooses to run for the seat keeps this in mind: Southern West Virginia is hurting. We have had catastrophic losses in personal and real property valuations throughout this five-county district. Couple that with a declining coal market, as well as declining enrollment in our public schools, and you can see tough times lie ahead for the Southern West Virginia Coalfields.”
Hardesty was appointed to the Seventh District in January to fill the unexpired term of Senator Richard Ojeda, who resigned to run for President of the United States.