The Raleigh County Democratic Party Executive Committee has about two and a half weeks to nominate a candidate to fill a vacant seat on the Raleigh County Commission.
As of Monday, the committee had no candidates, said Danielle Stewart, co-chair of the Raleigh County Democratic Executive Committee.
Stewart said she has spoken to several area residents who are considering running, though potential candidates face hurdles such as lack of funding and name recognition.
Anyone interested in running for Raleigh County Commissioner in Judicial District 1 can contact the Raleigh Democrats through their website, raleighcountydemocrats.com or by emailing info@raleighcountydemocrats.com.
Stewart said if the committee has any interested candidates, they will meet via Zoom on Thursday to vote on the nominations.
The vacancy on the Raleigh County Commission was created by the death of longtime Commissioner Dave Tolliver in June.
Daniel Hall, a candidate to fill Tolliver’s remaining term on the Raleigh County Republican Executive Committee, is temporarily taking his seat on the committee.
According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, local Republican and Democratic party executive committees have until Aug. 13 to nominate a candidate for Tolliver’s commissioner position.
Both names will then be placed on the ballot for the general election in November.
It is possible that Hall could run alone if no Democrat files.
In 2020, Republican candidate Greg Duckworth faced one opponent in the Republican primary and no Democratic opponents in the general election.
In 2022, Tolliver faced three Republicans in the primary, including Hall, but faced no Democratic opponents in the general election.
The 2024 election will feature a Raleigh County Commissioner seat in Judicial District 2.
Linda K. Epling currently holds the position on the commission, but no party opposes her.
Stewart said the lack of a Democratic challenger is partly due to funding, but also because the incumbent candidates are doing well.
“They do a good job, so a lot of people don’t understand why we would try to replace people who are doing a good job,” she said.
When asked if she was concerned that the Raleigh County Commission is all Republican, Stewart said she didn’t think it made any difference because political parties have less influence at the local level.
“At the local level, it’s a lot less about national political mumbo jumbo and a lot more about who’s the right person for the job,” she said.
