Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, the incumbent House Democrat representing District 25, filed to retain his seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Hornbuckle, the House Minority Leader, was first elected to the House in 2014, and has held the District 25 seat since 2022, when district lines were redrawn. District 25 contains the entirety of Marshall’s campus, along with most of the surrounding area.
In 2022, Hornbuckle ran unopposed; however, he will be facing opposition during this election.
Challenger Connie Beaty, a republican and president of the Southside Neighborhood Association, filed her candidacy paperwork on Jan. 25. Hornbuckle said he welcomes the opposition, and it’s good for people to want to be involved.
“I’ve had opposition before…I think it’s a good thing that people want to be involved in the process,” Hornbuckle said.
The deadline to declare candidacy for the May 14 primary election was midnight on Jan. 27, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office.
Many people in Cabell County’s Democratic circles were concerned Hornbuckle would not file, but he said there was “never a question of not running.”
He said he considered other options, a mayoral run among them, but ultimately decided the Legislature was the best place for him to be.
“I went back and forth a lot, thinking about different ways in which I might want to serve my community, and at the end of the day, for right now, this was the best way to be able to help the community,” Hornbuckle said.
His decision to run for re-election, he said, took what he believed to be best for the community into account.
“I don’t think many people love Huntington more than I do… I just want to take the time to be able to figure it out and do what’s best for everybody,” Hornbuckle said.
Hornbuckle is optimistic about any challenges he may face going into the election and said challenges are commonplace ahead of any election.
“There’s always going to be challenges going into an election and just figure out what those are, hopefully, speak to them, solve them… as long as you run hard, you know everything will be okay,” he said.
Hornbuckle also said he wants to continue his work with education and economic development if re-elected.
“I just want to keep on serving the way that I am, focusing on education and economic development, community stuff first, and keep going from there,” Hornbuckle said.
He went on to say he wants to specifically continue to work on economic development for Huntington.
“Different programs and economic development… that’s been good. And, you know, reach back into the city,” Hornbuckle said.
Hornbuckle said he wants to help create legitimate change in West Virginia.
“For me, it’s not like somebody just coming up with talking points. It’s about just continuing to try to help and doing it in that fashion,” Hornbuckle said.
Hornbuckle said he looks forward to running again and to keep serving West Virginians and Huntington.
“I’m just excited to be able to run again and keep serving… stay in West Virginia and this immediate community of Huntington, and I just want to continue to work, be a team player and help everybody out,” Hornbuckle said.
