Mike Manypenny has endorsed Lissa Lucas for West Virginia House of Delegates, District 7.

Mike Manypenny is a successful farmer, a thoughtful public servant, and a tireless advocate for West Virginians. He unsuccessfully ran against “Coal Ash” McKinley in 2016 for US House of Representatives, District 1. Sadly, McKinley—who took over $200,000 in campaign contributions from Resource Barons in 2016—was among those who recently rolled back protections for our streams to help corporations profit at the expense of West Virginians.

“It’s a tragedy. Mike would have fought that,” Lucas notes.

Manypenny first met Lucas at the WV Democratic Convention in 2016. “I connected immediately with Lissa and her ideology to protect our communities, our people, and our environment. We agree so much on when it comes to politics, ” he explains, adding “It should always be about people not profits.”

Lucas concurs. “We agree on a lot. Mike was one of my favorite delegates during his six years in the WV House; I followed his work. He was among the legislative champions during the water crisis caused by the Freedom Industries’ spill of MCMH. He really fought for the health and safety of West Virginians,” she says.

Manypenny and Lucas also agree on the legalization of cannabis, and on how much it would help this state. Both view cannabis as an important industry that will create sustainable jobs and economic diversification. With cannabis, WV could begin focusing on biofuels and bioplastics, among other things. It would also be a boon to farmers in the state looking to grow a lucrative crop, and would even help with mining land reclamation work in the southern coalfields—a place that desperately needs good jobs.

“We have to create jobs first for energy sector workers, so we can transition to something more sustainable and less destructive,” Lucas points out. “We can’t transition away from fossil fuels first and THEN try to help displaced workers. That would be as ridiculous as eliminating the ACA first, and only later trying to figure out what to replace it with.”

Manypenny is a founding member of many community organizations, including the Tygart Valley Chamber of Commerce, Taylor County Substance Abuse Task Force, Taylor County Farmers Market, and the Tygart Valley Child Advocacy Center. He has been honored by numerous awards including the WV House of Delegates’ “Legislative Integrity Award,” the WV Environmental Council’s “Chuck Chambers Public Service Award,” and the WV Citizen Action Group’s “Si Galperin Award.”

“I’m genuinely touched that he’s endorsed my run, and I’ll do everything I can to stand up for real people, not corporate donors,” Lucas says. “The average donation to my campaign right now is just $20.”

Mike explains, “I fully support her run for the WV House of Delegates in the 7th District. I know Lissa will make a great Delegate and do what’s right, not only for her neighbors and her district, but for all of West Virginia.”