CHARLESTON -
So far it seems like a case of the more things change, the more they stay the same for the House of Delegates in Kanawha County.
A total of 39 candidates ran for 10 House of Delegates seats representing Kanawha County, and several of the county's districts shrunk through redistricting.
"It cut my old district, my old territory in half, but I had to work harder," Delegate Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, said after taking 20 percent of the votes for the new Kanawha County District 35. "I really enjoyed the new district. I got to spend more time visiting with the people in my new territory, and I got the chance to spend a lot of one-on-one time, rather than spread so thin across the large county."
Skaff said a smaller Kanawha County district still costs about the same amount of money for advertising, but his conversations with voters have been different.
"I think people will understand (redistricting) more in November," Skaff said. "And I think about 80 percent of the people were very excited about the new districts, regardless of whether they're a Democrat or a Republican, once they figured out where they should vote."
Former West Virginia Tax Commissioner Chris Morris took one of the four slots on the Democratic side of the House District 35 ballot, along with Skaff and incumbents Bonnie Brown and Barbara Hatfield.
Morris said he was pleased and humbled at the results of his first run for office, having won 11 percent of the votes.
"I've had the opportunity over the past several months to walk around and meet folks throughout the district," he said. "I have three little girls, and I want to do everything I can to be sure they're able to live and work here in the Kanawha Valley as they grow up, and I think a lot of folks share that sentiment."
Another first-time contender, Fred Giggenbach, the senior assistant Kanawha County prosecutor, said it was tough to lose, but he was not disappointed.
"It was a fantastic and educational experience, and I got in the race for all the right reasons," Giggenbach said Tuesday night. "I'm very pleased with the results that I had for being a first-time runner in one of the most competitive races in the state."
The Republican primary was crowded as well.
Eric Nelson, Suzette Raines, John McCuskey and Fred Joseph will be on the Republican side of the ballot in November, bringing several new names and faces to the ticket.
Kanawha County Democrat incumbents Danny Wells, Nancy Guthrie and Mark Hunt, another group of re-districted delegates, all received their party's nomination for the 36th District.
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