CLARKSBURG — Buckhannon City Councilman and former Upshur County Schools Assistant Superintendent Jack Reger has filed to run for the West Virginia State Senate in District 11. He submitted his paperwork Wednesday at the Secretary of State’s office in Clarksburg.
Reger will face incumbent Sen. Bill Hamilton and former Sen. Robert Karnes in the Republican primary, scheduled for May 12.
Reger said his campaign is driven by concerns about the cost of living and the impact on families throughout the district.
“I’m running because too many families are being priced out of the life they work so hard to build,” Reger said. “And now, we’re watching that same pressure force school doors to close across our district.”
He described affordability as a measure of whether families can manage basic expenses and still save for the future.
“Affordability isn’t a cheap talking point. It’s whether you can pay your taxes, your power bill, your insurance, your healthcare costs, and still put something away for your kids. My plan starts with growing our economy the right way.”
Reger said he plans to prioritize private-sector growth without relying on government financing.
“By attracting and expanding self-supported private sector companies, not taxpayer-dependent handouts, we can generate billions in new economic investment and state revenue,” he said.
He added that this approach would strengthen local businesses, create jobs, and give the state the means to offer tax relief to middle-class families. Part of Reger’s economic plan includes helping families keep their homes.
“That includes expanding homestead exemptions so seniors and working families can stay in their homes,” he said.
Energy affordability and insurance reform are also central to his platform.
“We must also protect affordable energy by expanding our coal and natural gas industries and opposing costly ‘green energy’ mandates that would drive up utility bills,” he said.
“I’ll fight to lower insurance costs by joining states like Georgia, Maine, Rhode Island, and Wyoming in allowing cross-state insurance competition,” Reger added. “When covered incidents occur and families are going through some of the hardest moments of their lives, I’ll make sure insurance companies keep their promises and pay people what they’re owed. Affordability is also about whether families believe they can build a future here.”
Reger criticized the record of the current state senator on school closures, which he said disrupt communities and hurt students.
“When schools close in Upshur, Barbour, and Randolph counties, we don’t just lose buildings. We lose pieces of our communities, our stability, and our investment into the next generation,” he said.
“That’s the message that our current state senator has sent to this district,” Reger added. “That’s unacceptable for our parents, our teachers, our bus drivers, our custodians, and most importantly our students. I’m running to change that message, to preserve our way of life, make our state more affordable, keep good jobs here at home, and ensure our schools remain the heart of the communities they serve.”
Reger concluded by stressing the need for leadership focused on families and communities.
“West Virginia can be affordable again, but only with strong leadership, common sense, and the courage to put our children, our communities, and our families first.”
Reger, positioned as a political outsider to Charleston, will face one former and one current state senator in the May 12th Republican Primary.