Christians must render unto God what is God’s, but also render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. In our representative democracy, that means that every Christian must vote, and be informed and prayerful. Many will be called to be poll workers, a few activists, and a tiny minority…candidates.
By Mark D. Harris
Primary elections are fast approaching, and the political storms are surging in this presidential election year. West Virginia’s primary elections are on May 14th. Many people are just now beginning to pay attention to the races, and many do not know who they should vote for. National races, like Trump and Biden, swallow up media time and space, and local candidates rarely gain publicity.
For Christians, the question of who to vote for is secondary to the question of why and how to vote. Christ-followers are first citizens of heaven and only second citizens of our earthly nation. Our allegiance lies first with Jesus and only second with the United States (in our case). The direction of believers’ allegiance is not new. Followers of Jesus refused to worship Roman emperors and perform religious duties that would put Rome above God. Often, these Christians were killed for their “disloyalty.” Killing Christians was a bad move for Rome. Christianity was spreading like wildfire through the Empire regardless of the persecution. Further, the sterile and abortive Romans needed to have their failure to make more Romans offset by the fecund Christians.
Why should Christians vote?
The key passages on the Christian’s role in secular society are as follows:
- Jeremiah 29:7
- Mark 12:16-17
- Romans 13:1-9
- 1 Peter 2:17
- Elsewhere, the Old Testament provides a mountain of useful teachings and examples of how God’s people should relate to their governing authorities.
Christianity was born in the Roman Empire, and most people never voted for anything. Free, aristocratic males could vote, but Christians, often hailing from the slave and free laborer populations, may have been the least likely of all to vote. “Rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” did not include voting.
As tyranny gave way to monarchy and then to democracy, voting became widespread. In a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, citizens run the government through their elected officials, and they must vote. When Christians, or at least those to profess to be, are most of the population, those who fail to vote are as responsible for the ills of society as those who vote poorly.
David Platt discusses seven questions for Christians to ask before they vote.[1]
- Does God call me to vote? See the passages above.
- Who has my heart? Am I trusting in man or in God? Psalm 146:3
- What does my neighbor need? 2 Corinthians 8:9
- What is the Christian position on each issue? How clearly does the Bible speak about a given issue?
- How do I weigh the issues? How significant are the consequences of a given position?
- Am I eager to maintain unity in the Church?
- How should I vote?
In addressing these questions, Platt encourages his readers to rate each issue from 1 to 5 on how clearly the Bible speaks to a given issue and how important it is.
| 5 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 1 | |||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
The Y axis is Biblical Clarity and the X axis is Societal Impact. Different people may have somewhat different ratings, but Christians may be less so because we believe in a fixed revelation in the Bible. An issue like whether to approve a school board or fire levy may only rank 2 on each scale, while abortion may rank 5 on each scale.
Who should I vote for in the WV primaries in 2024?
Governor
| Candidate | Religion | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Chris Miller | C | R | Auto Dealer | Son of US Representative Carol Miller |
| Moore Capito | C | R | Delegate | Son of US Senator Shelly Moore Capito |
| Patrick Morrisey | C | R | WV Attorney General | Native of New Jersey |
| Mac Warner | C | R | WV Secretary of State | Brother of Monte Warner (GOP governor candidate in 2004) and Kris Warner (SOS candidate 2024) |
| Steve Williams | D |
US Senator
| Candidate | Religion | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Jim Justice | C | R | Governor | Switched between D and R for his entire career |
| Alex Mooney | C | R | US Rep, 2nd CD | Maryland native |
| Zach Shrewsbury | D |
US Representative (1st CD)
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Derrick Evans | R | Former delegate | Involved in 6 Jan 2021 event |
| Carol Miller | R | US Rep, 2nd CD | Mother of gubernatorial candidate Chris Miller |
| Chris Bob Reed | D |
Secretary of State
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Thornton Cooper | D | ||
| Doug Skaff | R | Former leader of the democratic minority caucus | Registered as a Republican the same day he filed to run for Secretary of State, in Dec 2023 |
| Kris Warner | R | Former chair of WVGOP, economic advisory work | Brother of current SOS Mac Warner |
Treasurer
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Larry Pack | R | Businessman and advisor to Jim Justice | WV GOP national committeeman |
Auditor
| Candidate | Religion | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Caleb Hanna | C | R | Delegate | Only African American delegate in WV |
| Eric Householder | C | R | Delegate | |
| Mark Hunt | C | R | WV senator | |
| Mary Ann Roebuck | C | D |
Agriculture Commissioner
| Candidate | Religion | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Deborah Stiles | C | D | ||
| Joshua Higginbotham | C | R | Delegate | |
| Kent Leonhardt | C | R | Incumbent | married |
| Roy Ramey | C | R |
Attorney General
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| JB McCuskey | R | Auditor | |
| Ritchie Robb | D | ||
| Mike Stuart | R | Senator 7th district, prosecutor for Trump | |
| Teresa Toriseva | D |
Intermediate Court of Appeals
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Elgine McArdle | WV GOP chair | ||
| Mychal Schulz | |||
| S Ryan White |
WV Supreme Court Justice
| Candidate | Division | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Haley Bunn | 1 | ||
| Charles Trump | 2 | WV senator |
WV State Senate 9th SD
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Christy Cardwell | D | ||
| Brian Helton | R |
WV House of Delegates
| Candidate | Party | District | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Jordan Maynor | R | 41 | Incumbent | |
| Anna White Ferraraccio | D | 41 | ||
| Addam Gibson | D | 42 | ||
| Brandon Steele | R | 42 | Incumbent | |
| Christopher Toney | R | 43 | Incumbent | |
| Tony O Martin | D | 44 | Firefighter | |
| Carl Bill Roop | R | 44 | ||
| Eric Brooks | R | 45 | Incumbent |
Circuit Judge
| Candidate | Division | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Marie Bechtel | 2 | Lawyer, expertise in substance use disorder | Married |
| Matthew Bradford | 2 | ||
| Daniel Burns | 2 | ||
| Andy Dimlich | 4 | ||
| Mike Froble | 2 | Lawyer, asst AG | christian |
| Todd Kirby | 3 | Lawyer, delegate | |
| Darl Poling | 1 | ||
| Russel Wooton | 2 | Lawyer | Board member; youth sports coach |
Raleigh County Sheriff
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Jim Canaday | R | Current sheriff | Baptist, married, 2 kids |
| Frank Priddy | R | Police veteran | AOG, 4 kids |
| Randy White | R | Police veteran | Christian |
Raleigh County Magistrate
| Candidate | District | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Calvin Alexander | 5 | ||
| Paul Blume | 2 | Law enforcement, incumbent | |
| Bernie Bostick | 1 | Retired WWHS teacher | Dances with Beckley Dance Theater |
| Kennet Bradley | 6 | Legal assistant, substitute teacher, coach | 3 kids, fiancé |
| Tim Deems | 3 | Law enforcement | Married, 3 kids |
| Matthew Epling | 6 | WV jail magistrate | Married, 3 kids |
| Stephanie French | 3 | Fundraiser; community activist | |
| Guy Holliday | 3 | Construction worker | Wrestling referee; wrestling association of referees president; father |
| John Humphrey | 1 | ||
| Jodi Lovelace-Patrick | 3 | ||
| Jeff McPeake | 3 | ||
| Xavier Oglesby | 6 | ||
| Tomi Peck | 5 | Law enforcement, incumbent | |
| Terry Phillips | 6 | Bailiff, coal mining | 3 kids |
| Dustin Potter | 3 | Landscaping supervisor; Manager, city of Beckley Sign Shop | |
| Rachel Roush | 1 | Forensic psychologist; earned a law degree | Attends church |
| Loretta Stowers Breedlove | 3 | 911 dispatcher | Married, kids |
| Greg Tanner | 4 | Law enforcement, incumbent | Married |
| Gary Vaughan | 1 | US Army, combat veteran, bailbondsman | P.I. and fugitive recovery agent |
Board of Education
| Candidate | Division | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Brad DeFlumeri | 2 | Roman Catholic, pro-life; pro hope scholarship | |
| Rick Snuffer | 1 | USDA, Snuffer Farms | Currently on BOE; against Hope scholarship |
| Marsha Smith | 1 |
Raleigh County Conservation District Supervisor
| Candidate | Relevant Experience | Other |
| F Bill Harris | Incumbent, USDA | Married, church member |
| Mark Harris | Extensive | Leadership, finance, environmental, scientific, military, religious |
Beckley Mayor
| Candidate | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Robert Dunlap | Lawyer, city council | Lives on Glade, not in Beckley, with husband and two adopted boys |
| Matt Lahn | Businessman | Married 5 kids, paramedic |
| Ryan Neal | Businessman | Beef Jerky outlet |
| Marvin Robinson | Law enforcement, military | Christian, Beckleyan |
| Michael Enrique Smith |
Beckley City Council (at large)
| Candidate | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Sherrie Hunter | ||
| Cody Reedy | Incumbent |
Beckley City Council
| Candidate | Ward | Relevant Experience | Other |
| Natalie Coots | 1 | Retired teacher | Raised Baptist, one child; Beckleyan |
| Kristin O’Neil | 1 | WV Disabilities council | Married, 2 girls, granddaughter; small business owner |
| Tom Sopher | 1 | Businessman-Best Fabric and Foam | WV humanities council; Beckleyan; Temple Beth el president; President Raleigh County Historical society; Salvation Army board member |
| Robert Canter III | 2 | ||
| Sam Corey | 2 | ||
| Roy Redden | 2 | Law enforcement | Boy scouts |
| Nancy Shoemaker Dingess | 2 | Business, finance | Pilot’s license, married; Beckley quota club, other Board and volunteer positions |
| Arran Adams | 3 | “Big 4 firms” | Married to husband, one dog, Maryland native |
| Tom Moseley | 3 | ||
| Emily Tate | 3 | Raleigh County resident 40 yr | Wife, 3 kids, one grandchild |
| Frank Williams | 3 | Combined insurance company, city council | Heart of God ministries, married, 3 kids |
| Keri Berry | 4 | ||
| Kip Buchanan | 4 | Director for various agencies and organizations | Married, 3 kids |
| Danielle Stewart | 4 | US Army 23 years | “Spouse, parent to 5, and grandparent to 3” St Stephens Episcopal Church |
| Tim Berry | 5 | Law enforcement, real estate | Married, 2 daughters, board of directors; appointed by Bob Wise and Joe Manchin to various positions when each was governor |
| Janine Bullock | 5 | Bureau of prisons | Currently on council |
| Kris Kincaid | 5 | ||
| Tina Pannell | 5 | ||
| Mary West | 5 |
Raleigh County Circuit Clerk
| Candidate | Party | Relevant Experience | Other |
| James Paul Chapman | R | ||
| Brianne Steele | R | Wife of Delegate Brandon Steele, mother |
Information drawn from The Beckley Register-Herald “In their own words” special section. Saturday, 20 April 2024. I know many of these people personally, so I have added that information as well.
Conclusion
The first political task for Christians in America is to knowledgeably and prayerfully vote. This article does not tell anyone how to vote, although I hope that anyone who reads it votes for me for Conservation District Supervisor. Rather, I have tried to use important information as reported by the candidates themselves to the newspaper.
[1] David Platt, Before You Vote: Seven Questions Every Christian Should Ask (Birmingham, Al: Radical, Inc, 2020).
