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Devin Spinks

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Devin Spinks
Image of Devin Spinks

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Nicholas County High School

Bachelor's

Shepherd University, 2019

Graduate

West Virginia University, 2021

Personal
Birthplace
Beckley, W.Va.
Profession
Educator
Contact

Campaign Facebook

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Personal Facebook

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Devin Spinks (Democratic Party) ran for election to the West Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 48. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Spinks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Devin Spinks was born in Beckley, West Virginia. He graduated from Nicholas County High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Shepherd University in 2019 and a graduate degree from West Virginia University in 2021. His career experience includes working as an educator. He has been affiliated with the AFT Union.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2024

General election

General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 48

Incumbent Tom Clark defeated Devin Spinks in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 48 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tom Clark
Tom Clark (R)
 
75.4
 
4,546
Image of Devin Spinks
Devin Spinks (D) Candidate Connection
 
24.6
 
1,480

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 6,026
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 48

Devin Spinks advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 48 on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Devin Spinks
Devin Spinks Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
883

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 883
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 48

Incumbent Tom Clark advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 48 on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tom Clark
Tom Clark
 
100.0
 
1,792

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,792
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Spinks in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Devin Spinks completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Spinks' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am Devin Spinks. I am an educator from Nicholas County, West Virginia. I have a Bachelors Degree from Shepherd University in Global Governance and Peace and a Masters Degree in Higher Education Administration from WVU. I have worked in higher education at Shepherd University, WVU Tech, and Washington College (MD). In 2022, I became a social studies and geography teacher at Summersville Middle. I have a strong belief in public education.
  • Public Money should go to our Public Education system.
  • West Virginians deserve the better access to healthcare and treatment.
  • Improving WV's infrastructure to better attract business and job opportunities.
Working to assure our taxpayer dollars are going to public education; Assuring all West Virginians have access to better healthcare and treatment for drug addiction; and the improvement of WV's infrastructure to better attract business and job opportunities in our state.
My greatest inspirations are Nelson Mandela, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy, President Barack Obama, and Secretary Natalie Tennant. These folks always kept the people first in their careers and assured everyone had access to the basic rights.
If you watch Parks and Recreation and Madam Secretary, you will see my philosophy. Leslie Knope always has the best interest of the people of Pawnee when she is trying to build a park or holding a public forum. All the while, in Madam Secretary, Secretary McCord uses diplomacy and discussion to keep the world at peace.

While these are both fictional series, a lot can be learned from these leaders. By always putting their constituents and their interests first, you are being a great leader.
Approachable; One with a listening ear; ready to out their constituents first.
I am honest, responsible, and ready to move West Virginia forward.
The core responsibilities are putting the constituents first and assuring they are in the best interest in every vote made.
I want folks to remember to listen and help their neighbor and always look out for the best interest for their community, just as I plan to do if elected.
The first historical event I remember was 9/11 when I was about 5. I was sitting on Virginia Beach with my mom when my dad called collect from the hotel (something that was never done) and for us to hurry back to the room to watch the news. I can still see the second plane hit. I also remember the military activity in the area due to Langley Air Force Base's close proximity to the area. Even at five years old, I knew that the world had forever changed.
My first job was in college at Shepherd University where I was an orientation leader (A-Teamer) where I welcomed new students onto the campus and helped with their academic scheduling. I loved this job and held it every summer during my tenure at Shepherd. This job sparked my passion for education and getting folks involved in their community.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It tells the story of a teenage Charlie who is struggling to fit into high school. It discusses many of the struggles teens go through daily including peer pressure, identity issues, and depression and anxiety. I currently have eight copies of the book, including a personalized signed copy from the author as well as copies in Spanish, French, German, Hungarian, and Czech. It has become a bit of a collection.
1000% Leslie Knope. Her charisma and drive to better her community no matter what is thrown her way is impeccable. I strive to have her passion and drive.
Tacata by Tiagz... I love Latinx music.
The biggest struggle in my life has been assuring everyone has a voice heard at the table. Everyone deserves to be heard, regardless if you agree with their sentiments. Assuring everyone receives respect and the listening ear I talk about is beyond important.
In my personal opinion, the governor and the legislature do not necessarily need to be on the same page, but they should definitely be in the same book. There should always be conversations going on between the two to assure the agenda can move forward and the constituents are in the best interest of the agenda.
West Virginia's greatest challenge over the next ten years will be keeping up with infrastructure and public employee pay and benefits to those in our surrounding states. The only way to fix this problem is like eating an elephant, one bite at a time. First, we HAVE to fix or abandon (outsource) the PEIA system. Next, we need to invest in our schools, both PK-12 and higher education to attract new students. And lastly, we need to update our roads, bridges, and rail infrastructure to attract both population and businesses to our great state.
Yes and no. I am a firm believer of the state legislature to be a government by the people. Once you have a "professional" legislature, you are completely ignoring much of the population by keeping them out of the discussion.
It is much easier to attract bees with honey than vinegar. In order to accomplish anything in this world, you need a village and you cannot accomplish anything alone. It is important to get that village together in order to better our communities and our state.
Sam Argento. He was an honest man who put West Virginians first.
I will never rule out running for another office in the future. I believe we need to be Move West Virginia Forward and I might have to step up even more in the future for another office.
I am an educator, I hear personal stories from my students every day as do ALL educators in our great state. Our students come from a variety of backgrounds. It is beyond important to listen to everyone in your communities, regardless of age or background. When my students tell me their concerns about the school, their home life, or meals, I listen. I empower them to ask for change and develop a plan to better tomorrow. I would do the same with my constituents.
The opposite of "pro" is "con" so the opposite of "progress" must be "Congress"

I am a sucker for political jokes.
The legislature is the people's power, so yes. The people should always be put first.
I 100% believe that compromise is necessary in policymaking. However, it should NEVER be at the expense of the constituent. Lawmakers first priority should ALWAYS be to better the lives of their communities and not quid pro quo between legislators.
The elimination of the West Virginia HOPE scholarship to put public money back in our public education system.
I am interested in Education, Artificial Intelligence, Economic Development and Tourism.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Devin Spinks campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* West Virginia House of Delegates District 48Lost general$3,473 $3,476
Grand total$3,473 $3,476
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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External links

Candidate

West Virginia House of Delegates District 48
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    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 17, 2024


    Current members of the West Virginia House of Delegates
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    Minority Leader:Sean Hornbuckle
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    Bill Bell (R)
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    Carl Roop (R)
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    Tom Clark (R)
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