Reporters and editors at Mountain State Spotlight have been asking folks: What should candidates be focused on during this 2026 election season?
Over 200 West Virginians have responded to a survey sharing what they want to hear from candidates running for office.
And last week, Mountain State Spotlight hosted a virtual discussion with residents across the state, from Charleston to Charles Town, to share their thoughts on what candidates should be talking about.
Here’s what they said:
Data centers
Data center projects are top of mind for voters as they head to the polls this spring: One in three survey respondents told Mountain State Spotlight they want to know where candidates stand on data center projects and the authority and oversight of local communities over the industry.
Community members in Mingo County and across the state have told Mountain State Spotlight they feel betrayed by lawmakers who took away their voice in data center proposals.
Jeffrey Proctor of Fayetteville attended Mountain State Spotlight’s virtual roundtable conversation. He said lawmakers need to revisit the law that stripped local governments of oversight.
“If they’re going to be subjected to data centers,” Proctor said, communities should “have more of a voice and share more in the revenue.”
Getting West Virginians working
West Virginia has for decades had the nation’s lowest rate of people over the age of 16 working or actively looking for a job. State residents face numerous barriers to employment, from lack of public transportation to limited access to childcare.
Proctor said lawmakers should focus less on development aimed at big corporations and advocate more for small businesses.
“A small business here could double in size if they had the ability to have better transportation for their employees, to have better health care, to have better options for daycare,” he said.
In a roundtable conversation, Michael Jenkins, a retired carpenter in Bridgeport, said he wanted to see the state take a comprehensive approach when it comes to energy development to bring in more jobs.
“We got the coal, we got gas, we got timber, we got everything in this state that we need,” Jenkins said, “but we need people that want to push everything.”
Cynthia Nelson told her group there weren’t professional jobs for her kids in the state.
“West Virginia mamas have to say goodbye while their children go out and find a rewarding career just because the opportunities aren’t here,” she said.
Education and public schools
This spring, lawmakers approved a record $300 million budget for West Virginia’s Hope Scholarship program, while the state’s public schools face financial crisis.
Tina Held is a parent of homeschooled graduates. She told her roundtable group she believes the Hope Scholarship is a great opportunity for homeschool families, but lawmakers need to find balance to ensure public schools are funded as well.
“Not one or the other is more deserving,” she said.
Deborah Stiles, a Tucker County resident running for the 86th House District representing Hardy Pendleton and Tucker Counties, said the Hope Scholarship is “impoverishing our public education system.”
Several counties will vote on school levies and bonds this primary election. Nelson, a Monongalia County resident, said that while her county regularly passes these temporary taxes that fund county services, neighboring Preston County struggles to pass them.
“And it just breaks my heart,” she said. “Because, you know, educating our young is the key to their future.”
Water, infrastructure and flood control
Residents of growing parts of West Virginia, from Fayetteville to the Eastern Panhandle, expressed concern that the state’s infrastructure wasn’t keeping up with population growth and development. Meanwhile, in other parts of the state, residents worry about getting clean drinking water and when the next flood will hit.
Proctor said Fayette County’s rapid growth, spurred by an influx of visitors to the recently-designated New River Gorge National Park, is leading to growing pains.
“We’re all for economic growth,” he said, “but it’s hard to support when you’re bringing more and more people into the area in a more and more congested situation.”
Don Goddard is a retired physical therapist living in Rainelle. He said he’s most concerned about flood control.
Northern Panhandle residents who are still recovering from flooding last year also told Mountain State Spotlight they want to see better disaster preparedness from the state and a faster response from federal officials.
Healthcare
Healthcare is a top priority for dozens of West Virginians who shared with Mountain State Spotlight, both through the election survey and in group conversation.
“We need hospitals. We need EMS workers,” Nelson said. “You know, we have expectations for the taxes we pay.”
Jeremi Turley is healthcare worker who lives on Charleston’s West Side.
He takes care of his father, who is on Medicare. He said his father can no longer access on-demand public transportation with his benefits and has to rely on a volunteer organization that requires four weeks’ notice. He wants lawmakers to focus on providing healthcare for all West Virginians instead of working to dismantle the system.
“If healthcare is a right, then why are they unrighting it?” he said.
Communication and representation
West Virginians have thoughts on what they want to hear from candidates this election season, but they also shared that they struggle to hear from their representatives at all. Several people said they feel shut out of government decisions around big developments like data centers and solar farms.
Turley said candidates are talking about the wrong issues and aligning with national political figures instead of taking care of West Virginians.
“They’re not really saying what they’re going to do specifically for us,” he said, “or how they’re going to make things better.”
Early voting goes through May 9 in West Virginia. The primary election is on Tuesday, May 12. Find voting and ballot information for all 55 counties here.
