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Eric Nelson
| Eric Nelson | ||
 | ||
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 35 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 2011-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| December 1, 2014 | ||
| Years in position | 2 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $20,000/year | |
| Per diem | $131/day during session | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 6, 2012 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Washington and Lee University, 1983 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | December 4, 1960 | |
| Place of birth | Charleston, WV | |
| Profession | President, Nelson Enterprises | |
| Religion | Presbyterian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
Nelson is President of Nelson Enterprises, Inc. The business is an investment company that focuses on real estate, natural resources, money management and entrepreneurial activity in the region. He previously worked for Crestar Bank, City Holding Company, and Mountaineer Capital.
He holds a BS in business administration and accounting from Washington and Lee University.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Nelson served on the following committees:
| West Virginia Committee Assignments, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Banking, Minority Vice Chair | ||||
| • Finance, Minority Vice Chair | ||||
| • Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security | ||||
| • Joint Finance | ||||
| • Government Operations | ||||
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Nelson served on these committees:
| West Virginia Committee Assignments, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Banking and Insurance | ||||
| • Government Organization | ||||
| • Joint Government Organization | ||||
| • Roads and Transportation | ||||
| • Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security | ||||
Issues
Campaign themes
Nelson's website highlights the following campaign themes:[2]
Economy
- Excerpt:"I am concerned about the current condition of our state and local economy. We must be proactive in creating employment opportunities in West Virginia through incentivizing business to protect our current job base, as well as, creating opportunities to add new employees."
Government
- Excerpt:"I support stopping the growth of and reducing the waste in government spending. I favor requiring an audit of all state spending and reforming our state's budget process to eliminate waste."
Invest in West Virginia Energy
- Excerpt:"Second to the citizens of West Virginia, are West Virginia's abundant natural resources. I strongly support the production of coal, oil, and gas. As we continue to develop cost effective alternative energy sources, we cannot turn our back on those resources that allow us to have affordable electricity and heating rates."
Education
- "I support improvements in K-12 preparation for college or technical trades."
- "I support rewarding teachers for improved results and teaching techniques."
- "I support the PROMISE scholarship and would support ways to incentivize and work with business to keep more of our graduates at home."
Taxes
- "I support reducing excessive taxes, particularly those on our West Virginia seniors, disabled, and veterans. Let's make West Virginia more attractive for all retirees to remain home."
- "I support the elimination of the business franchise tax. This tax has a tremendous negative impact on the retention of capital and capital investment by businesses in West Virginia."
- "I support the reduction and ultimate elimination of taxes on business inventory and business equipment. We have long been known for our manufacturing strength, reducing this tax will help bring back our manufacturing and its higher paying jobs."
Elections
2014
While no candidates have officially filed and the deadline is not until January 2014, several Republicans are considering running for West Virginia's 2nd congressional seat including Tim Armstead, Eric Nelson, Patrick Lane, Steve Harrison, Mike Hall and Mike Stuart.[3]
2012
Nelson won re-election in the 2012 election for West Virginia House of Delegates, District 35. Nelson advanced past the May 8 primary election and won election in the general election which took place on November 6, 2012.[4][5][6]
| West Virginia House of Delegates, District 35, General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Doug Skaff Incumbent |
15.8% | 14,891 | |
| Republican | Suzette Raines |
14.5% | 13,676 | |
| Republican | Eric Nelson Incumbent |
14.2% | 13,397 | |
| Republican | John Mccuskey |
12% | 11,325 | |
| Democratic | Bobbie Hatfield Incumbent | 12% | 11,284 | |
| Democratic | Bonnie Brown Incumbent | 11.8% | 11,097 | |
| Democratic | Chris Morris | 10.4% | 9,792 | |
| Republican | Fred Joseph | 9.2% | 8,638 | |
| Total Votes | 94,100 | |||
| West Virginia House of Delegates, District 35 Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Eric Nelson Incumbent |
18.5% | 2,606 |
| Suzette Raines |
18.2% | 2,561 |
| John B. Mccuskey |
14% | 1,969 |
| Fred Joseph |
12.2% | 1,725 |
| Ann Calvert | 11.6% | 1,630 |
| Matt Kelly | 7.1% | 1,003 |
| Todd Carden | 5.8% | 811 |
| Michael A. Young | 5.3% | 752 |
| Micah Phelps | 4.7% | 665 |
| Elias Gregory | 2.6% | 368 |
| Total Votes | 14,090 | |
2010
Nelson was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates District 30. He was one of fourteen candidates running for the seven positions in District 30 on the ballot in the November 2, 2010 general election. He was opposed in the general election by Republican candidates Michael Scott Hall, Brian F. Hicks, Fred Joseph, Daniel "Rick" Barnett, Jim Strawn, and Steve Sweeney; Democrat incumbents Bonnie Brown, Nancy Guthrie, Barbara Hatfield, Mark Hunt, Douglas Skaff, Jr., Sharon Spencer, and Danny Wells. Only the top seven vote-getters were elected. [7][8][9][10]
| West Virginia House of Delegates, District 30 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Douglas Skaff, Jr. (D)
|
19,335 | 8.79% | ||
| Eric Nelson (R)
|
17,603 | 8.00% | ||
| Daniel Wells (D)
|
17,197 | 7.81% | ||
| Barbara Hatfield (D)
|
17,186 | 7.81% | ||
| Bonnie Brown (D)
|
16,920 | 7.69% | ||
| Mark Hunt (D)
|
16,498 | 7.50% | ||
| Nancy Guthrie (D)
|
16,301 | 7.41% | ||
| Sharon Spencer (D) | 15,686 | 7.13% | ||
| Fred Joseph (R) | 15,329 | 6.97% | ||
| Brian Hicks (R) | 15,001 | 6.82% | ||
| Michael Hall(R) | 14,923 | 6.78% | ||
| James Strawn (R) | 14,180 | 6.44% | ||
| Daniel Barnett (R) | 12,119 | 5.51% | ||
| Steven Sweeney (R) | 11,808 | 5.37% | ||
| West Virginia State Senate, District 30 Republican Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Fredrik Eric Nelson, Jr. (R)
|
2,963 | 4.21% | ||
| Fred H. Joseph (R)
|
2,820 | 4.01% | ||
| Michael Scott Hall (R)
|
2,548 | 3.62% | ||
| James W. Strawn (R)
|
2,343 | 3.33% | ||
| Steven Sweeney (R)
|
2,096 | 2.98% | ||
| Daniel Richard Barnett (R)
|
1,993 | 2.83% | ||
| Brian Franklin Hicks (R)
|
1,979 | 2.81% | ||
| Harold Verdayne Meade, Jr. (R) | 1,273 | 1.81% | ||
Campaign donors
2012
Campaign donor information is not yet available for this year.
2010
In 2010, Nelson received $85,030 in campaign donations. The top contributors are listed below.[11]
| West Virginia House of Delegates 2010 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top contributors to Eric Nelson's campaign in 2010 | |
| Nelson, Eric | $12,000 |
| Nelson, William | $2,000 |
| Jordon, Andrew | $2,000 |
| West Virginia Chamber Of Commerce | $2,000 |
| Goldsmith, Robert | $1,000 |
| Total Raised in 2010 | $85,030 |
Personal
Nelson and his wife, Pam, have three children.
External links
- Official campaign website
- Eric Nelson on the West Virginia House of Delegates website
- Biography on Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2010
References
- ↑ Nelson's campaign website - About Eric
- ↑ nelsonforhouse.com - Issues
- ↑ The Daily Mail "Republicans eye House seat held by Capito" Accessed April 23, 2013
- ↑ WBOY.com "West Virginia General Election Results November 6, 2012" Accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State - 2012 Candidate Listing By Office
- ↑ 2012 West Virginia Primary Election Official Results
- ↑ Official WV primary election results
- ↑ Official Primary Results SOS
- ↑ Official Primary Results SOS
- ↑ Official General Election Results
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2010 contributions
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by ' |
West Virginia House of Representatives District 35 2012-present |
Succeeded by NA |
| Preceded by Sharon Spencer |
West Virginia House of Representatives District 30 2010–2012 |
Succeeded by NA |
 |
State of West Virginia Charleston (capital) |
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