Carla Bundy, picking up an order at Blackwell's Catering in Lewisburg. Photo by Alexa Beyer

LEWISBURG – Carla Bundy is standing with a baguette, waiting for her order at Blackwell’s Catering. Bundy has lived in Lewisburg since 1975. She spent all of her working years as an elementary school teacher in the community. But even when she votes for West Virginians, she has national issues like abortion top of mind.

It’s why she wouldn’t vote for Sen. Stephen Baldwin, a Democrat who currently represents Greenbrier County. Baldwin is a Presbyterian pastor who surprised some of his supporters when he publicly stated his support for a woman’s right to an abortion in the state. 

“That’s the only reason. Because I really like him personally. I know him,” Bundy said. 

“And he’s a good man. But I just can’t.”

Mountain State Spotlight reporters are traveling around the state, asking West Virginians what’s on their mind this election season. To read other stories from this series, click here. 

For all her focus on national issues like abortion, crime and border security, Bundy likes living in West Virginia and especially Lewisburg because it feels insulated from all of those issues. She says it feels safe here, like the people are nicer, and “it doesn’t seem so evil as other places.” Bundy grew up in a bigger town in Louisiana and says she would never go back. 

But she still watches the national news. And it brings her great concern. “I feel like we’re killing our own people and yet we’re letting others into the country that — more of them shouldn’t be here,” she said.

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Alexa Beyer is the Environment and Energy reporter for Mountain State Spotlight.