Erik Wells
Erik Wells (b. February 5, 1967) is a former Democratic member of the West Virginia State Senate, representing District 8 from 2006 to 2014.
Biography
Wells earned his B.A. from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He went on to receive his M.A. from West Virginia University.
Wells' professional experience includes working in public relations, as a media consultant, and owning Wells Media Group Limited Liability Company. He also served as Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserves as a public affairs officer.[1]
Committee assignments
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Wells served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Military, Chair |
| • Education, Vice Chair |
| • Economic Development |
| • Finance |
| • Labor |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Veterans' Affairs, Chair |
| • Joint Education, Vice Chair |
| • Education Accountability, Chair |
| • Joint Economic Development |
| • Joint Finance |
| • Joint Interstate Cooperation |
| • Outcomes-Based Funding Models in Higher Education |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Wells served on these committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Economic Development |
| • Education, Vice Chair |
| • Joint Education, Vice Chair |
| • Education Accountability |
| • Enrolled Bills |
| • Finance |
| • Joint Finance |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Joint Interstate Cooperation |
| • Military, Chair |
| • Veterans' Affairs, Chair |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Wells served on these committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Economic Development |
| • Education |
| • Enrolled Bills |
| • Finance |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Military |
Elections
2014
Elections for the West Virginia State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 13, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 25, 2014. Incumbent Erik P. Wells was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Ed Gaunch was unopposed in the Republican primary. Gaunch defeated Wells and Mike Fisher (Constitution) in the general election.[2][3]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Ed Gaunch |
53% | 14,094 | |
| Democratic | Erik P. Wells Incumbent | 43.1% | 11,472 | |
| Constitution | Mike Fisher | 3.9% | 1,041 | |
| Total Votes | 26,607 | |||
2010
Erik Wells was re-elected to the West Virginia State Senate, District 8. He defeated Democrats Richard Robb and Richard Lindsay II in the May 11 primary. He defeated Republican Bob Ore in the November 2, 2010, general election.[4][5][6]
| West Virginia State Senate, District 8 (2010) General Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Erik Wells (D)
|
36,280 | 63.21% | ||
| Robert Ore (R) | 21,116 | 36.79% | ||
| West Virginia State Senate, District 8 Democratic Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Erik Wells (D)
|
8,343 | 38.83% | ||
| Richard A. Robb (D) | 6,866 | 31.96% | ||
| Richard David Lindsay II (D) | 1,352 | 6.29% | ||
2006
On November 7, 2006, Erik Wells won election to an open seat on the West Virginia State Senate, District 8. [7]
Wells raised $63,082 for his campaign, while Mark Plants raised $69,730.[8]
| West Virginia Senate, District 8 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Erik Wells (D)
|
31,073 | |||
| Mark Plants (R) | 22,408 | |||
Campaign finance summary
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Wells is married to West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant. They have one child.[1]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of West Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2014
In 2014, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 through March 10.
- Regenerate WV - House only
- Legislators are scored on their votes for or against Regenerate WV's position.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on lawsuit-related legislation.
- Legislators are scored by the West Virginia Sierra Club on their votes on the Water Resources Protection Act and its amendments.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Erik + Wells + West + Virginia + Senate"
- All stories may not be relevant to this legislator due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
- West Virginia State Legislature
- West Virginia State Senate
- West Virginia Senate Committees
- West Virginia Joint Committees
- West Virginia State Senate District 8
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions via OpenSecrets: 2008, 2006
- Erik Wells on LinkedIn
- Erik Wells on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official primary candidate list," accessed February 7, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official list of 2010 candidates," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2010 General Election results," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official Returns for the 2006 Election," accessed March 10, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2006 contributions," accessed March 10, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
West Virginia State Senate District 8 2006–2014 |
Succeeded by Ed Gaunch (R) |
