By james art 
Back in July, we asked incumbent Del. Marty Gearhart if he has anything to add to his answers to questions about community redevelopment, the high cost of medical insurance and homelessness.
“It seems to me that you are dealing with a lot of issues that are far removed from what I address and my party addresses,” Gearhart said. “I would rather talk about reducing the tax burden on all West Virginians.”
That response convinced me of the importance of the approach Mountain State Spotlight has taken over the past year as we covered the 2024 primary and general elections.
Reporter Henry Culvihaus spent several days in the Gearheart area asking Mercer County residents what they want candidates for public office to say as they solicit votes. The result was a nuanced profile of Bluefield and Princeton. These are communities that have taken some hard hits. But the people there were working hard to get back, and they wanted a little more help from the state to get there.
And Henry’s questions for Del Gearhart were drawn from his discussions with those residents — the delegate’s constituents — asked in a respectful manner aimed at eliciting answers that constituents can use to make informed decisions.
It seems important that the state delegate (and perhaps his party) deal with issues other than what that delegate’s constituents want to hear about. But in the run-up to the 2024 election, it’s happening in a big way in West Virginia and across the country.
Over the past six months, Mountain State Spotlight staff have crisscrossed the state, speaking with more than 500 West Virginians in visits to all 55 counties. We hosted events in six communities, from Wheeling to Welch. And our reporters traveled to every corner of the state, visiting our cities, towns, hills and valleys.
It all started with our belief that elections should be more about West Virginians and their communities and less about horse race polls or attack ads. Using the Citizens’ Agenda, we set out to help our neighbors take back the political process.
We started with a simple question: What do you want to hear candidates say as they seek your vote?
Everywhere we went, voters heard common refrains: We need more substance abuse treatment and recovery programs. We need clean and reliable water. Our roads need to be repaired or upgraded. Our community needs more jobs, better schools, affordable child care, and more responsive government.
Our reporters found many West Virginians digging in trying to make their part of the state better. Most didn’t mind doing the hard work, but many said they wished the state would do more to help.
We also heard that lawmakers are focusing too much on issues that can divide West Virginians and not enough on things that can unite us.
For example, in McDowell County, we heard a desire to focus less on what the Rev. Brad Davis called “culture war issues” and more on the ingredients for building a post-coal economy, such as access to food, water, and health care.
“They don’t focus on quality of life,” Davis said at our Welch event.
Elsewhere, like Logan County, we’ve found many examples of West Virginians who don’t really believe in politics anymore. Others are simply tired of empty promises.
We read a lot about young people leaving, but often only old people lament this trend. Our reporters actually talked to some young people — in Lincoln County and in Wetzel and Tyler counties — to raise those voices.
As we heard from more and more voters, we started asking their questions of the candidates. When we started this job, we were worried about what to do when none of the candidates would talk to us.
After all, our organization is only four years old. Many politicians don’t feel the need to talk to the press, let alone a Charleston-based publisher they and their constituents have never even heard of.
But overall, the results of these efforts are good. Some Republican incumbents unopposed in the general election spoke with us. In competitive contests, we’ve been able to post some long answers where candidates talk in some detail about the overdose crisis, or economic development, or water and sanitation issues, or family violence. In today’s political environment — and with the decline of local media — that’s a rare thing that’s so important to give voters.
At the same time, the response to our outreach to more than 200 applicants was not what it should have been. Only about a quarter of applicants answered the questions we developed based on reader input.
This was our first election doing this as a major news project, so it was a learning process. One thing our readers have asked for, which we promise to improve on next time, is to compare what incumbents say to what they do when they come to Charleston. As we wrap up our campaign coverage, some important stories about the gubernatorial and senatorial races aim to provide a little more than that.
The national media has tried to say that people in places like our beloved West Virginia are voting against our own interests.
And we certainly found examples of powerful West Virginia politicians campaigning for gun rights, banning abortion, and continuing the extractive economy while their constituents wanted to hear much more about substance abuse disorder treatment being done on – easily accessible.
Perhaps there is a strong disconnect here. Maybe something more cynical is going on. Either way, more information is the way forward for our country.
Mountain State Spotlight’s bold and ambitious mission is to help West Virginians make our state a better place by providing sustained journalism with outrage that holds the powerful accountable and elevates voices that aren’t always heard.
As we have visited your community and so many others, one thing we have learned is that we have work to do.