West Virginia Democrats attending the DNC endorse Vice President Harris

CORE, W.Va. (WBOY) — With the Democratic National Convention less than a month away, the Democratic Party appears to be inching closer and closer to nominating Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s nominee in the 2024 presidential election, including those from West Virginia.

Monday evening, the West Virginia Democratic Party endorsed Vice President Harris in a press release stating, “Vice President Harris’s nomination is a pivotal step toward addressing the critical issues facing our nation today. From restoring reproductive freedom to ensuring social justice and defeating the threats posed by divisive leadership…”

12 News spoke with party member Steven Wendelin, congressional candidate of the 2nd district, to see what they think Vice President Harris will do for West Virginia if elected.

“I think she is looking towards the future, and we need that, we need some direction. We need to start looking towards the future. West Virginia is consistently on the bottom of pretty much every list, teacher pay, education, we’re dying sooner, and so if we can get some of that momentum of looking to the future, we can look at that and build on that,” said Wendelin.

Another commonly shared explanation from West Virginia Democrats as to why they’re choosing to endorse Vice President Harris is observing what the Biden Administration has accomplished within the last four years, specifically involving infrastructure.

Though tensions are high surrounding the 2024 election, West Virginia Democrats who are traveling to the convention are hopeful to remind the nation of the importance of West Virginia despite it being a state that has heavily voted Republican in previous election cycles.

“I think just connecting with delegates of other states and reminding them, you know, don’t forget about West Virginia. Don’t forget we had a pretty important senate seat here for a long time. We’re still here, we’re still active, we’re not just a totally republican state. We had a lot of positive things going on and a lot of good things,” said Monongalia County Democratic Executive Committee Chair Cal Carlson.

The Democratic National Convention will be held from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.

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