Janet McNulty

Janet McNulty (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent West Virginia. She lost in the Republican primary on May 14, 2024.

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

Biography

Janet McNulty was born on the Travis Air Force Base in California. McNulty earned a bachelor's degree from Northern State University in 2006 and a graduate degree from Southern New Hampshire University in 2021. Her career experience includes working in the retail industry. McNulty is also a published author and has worked as an independent IT consultant.^[1]^[2]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. Senate West Virginia on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Justice (R)	68.8	514,079
		Glenn Elliott (D)	27.8	207,548
		David Moran (L)	3.5	26,075
	Submit photo	Tim Stevenski (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	7
	Submit photo	Lewie Andrews (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	6
	Submit photo	Joshua Standridge (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	2

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 747,717
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Christopher Rose (R)
Michael Sigmon (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

Glenn Elliott defeated Zachary Shrewsbury and Don Blankenship in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia on May 14, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Glenn Elliott	45.4	46,176
	Zachary Shrewsbury	36.1	36,754
	Don Blankenship	18.5	18,778

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 101,708
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Joe Manchin III (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Justice	61.8	138,307
		Alexander Mooney	26.5	59,348
		Bryan Bird	3.1	7,001
		Bryan McKinney	2.9	6,573
		Zane Lawhorn	2.0	4,517
		Janet McNulty	2.0	4,404
	Submit photo	Don Lindsay	1.6	3,503

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 223,653
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for McNulty in this election.

2022

General election

General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 94

Larry D. Kump won election in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 94 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Larry D. Kump (R)	100.0	3,123

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,123
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 94

Larry D. Kump defeated Ryan Hammond and Janet McNulty in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 94 on May 10, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Larry D. Kump	66.8	671
	Submit photo	Ryan Hammond	17.4	175
		Janet McNulty	15.7	158

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,004
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

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

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Janet McNulty was born during February 1984 at Travis Air Force Base to a military family. During her childhood, her parents left the military and her mother took a civil service job. They never stayed in one place because her mother’s job required the family to move from time to time, allowing Janet the opportunity to live in places such as Nevada, Nebraska, and Montana. She attended Northern State University in South Dakota where she graduated in December 2006 with a B.A. in History. Following graduation, Janet moved to West Virginia for a job offer that fell through, beginning an eight-year period of unemployment where she took any temporary job she could just to pay bills. Janet even became a published author. In the past three years she studied IT at Southern New Hampshire University and graduated in 2021 with a M.S. in Information Technology. Currently, she works full time in retail as she pursues opportunities to use her degree.

This is Janet McNulty's life in a nutshell. A life of economic reverses and adversity and having to put her pride aside and work through it.

Janet does not come from wealth. She comes from a family of modest means. Janet has worked hard every day since she was 16 and understands the value of hard work and sacrifice. She never wanted a career in politics and has tried to run away from it, but life has shown her that we have career politicians who believe that they own us and can run our lives for us.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We need term limits. For too long, the United States has been governed by individuals who have been in the same office for decades and by those who are well on their way to doing the same because they managed to garner favor from the leaders of their political party through a lot of, for lack of a better term, butt-kissing. One of the biggest issues plaguing this country is career politicians who refuse to step aside. In the end, there has been little turn-over in Congress, causing it to turn into a cesspool of career politicians—leading to an entrenched political class that rules over us instead of governs—passing useless and dangerous legislation that is more symbolism than substance or results in limiting our freedom.
We have gotten government with living under the tyranny of apathy, immorality, tribalism, fear, constant war, debt, lies, willful ignorance, career politicians, the bureaucracy, and self-righteousness. The only way to end this vicious cycle is to stop voting for what is comfortable and to stop voting for the one who says all the nice things and makes you feel good or has you saying, "Amen." We need to remember the principles this country was founded upon (individual liberty, right to property, the right to self-determination, and equal justice under the law) if we want our country back. We need to remember that we are Americans and it’s high time we act like it. And, for God’s sake, we need some common sense.
For too long we have come to believe that the role of government is to provide for our every need, rather than looking to ourselves. Government will always oblige because it never turns down a chance to grow. As a result, we are now over-regulated and over $34 trillion in debt. The only role of government is to protect the rights that each individual is born with. We need to return to that understanding and become self-sufficient as individuals before we lose our liberties forever.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Term Limits

Border Security
The Economy
CDDCs
Foreign Entanglements
Private Property Protection

Education

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

George Washington. He is the only man in our history who willingly walked away from power.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The movie 1776 and the essay "The Law" by Frédéric Bastiat.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, integrity, perseverance, calm, conscientious, empathy, a leader.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Tenacity.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility of anyone elected to office is to protect the rights of everyone, as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Hopefully the implementation of term limits on members of Congress.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

September 11, 2001. I was 17.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Taco johns. Two years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I read a lot of books and find it difficult to narrow it down to just one.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Not being listened to or taken seriously by those in positions of authority or power because I refuse to be their puppet and I abhor "group think".

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The greatest challenge is getting people to quit dividing themselves into groups or tribes over petty differences and to start looking upon one another as Americans. We used to proudly call ourselves Americans and bond over that commonality. Now we divide ourselves according to gender, race, sexual orientation, Republican vs Democrat, etc. You name it, we divide ourselves over it.

We have become a nation where half the population hates the other half, and their own country. If we do not overcome this and stop blaming one another for problems we all contributed to, and if we do not remember who we are as Americans, we will never solve the other problems plaguing us and our nation will be doomed to fall apart.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

We need term limits. No individual should how a position of power for too long. We are seeing the results of such a folly. It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Well, having power for too long is equally corrupting.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The House of Representatives is for the passions of the people, but the Senate's job is to stand in the way of that passion so that reason may step in. The House passes numerous bills with little to no debate. The job of the Senate is to slow that process down so that each bill may be fully debated, considered, and the consequences (both long term and short term) fully contemplated.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

No.

The great majority of our Senators have had previous experience in government and politics and look at the state of the country. Never ending debt, constant war, constant bickering, and the rise of tribalism. Our "experienced" politicians spend most of their time campaigning and feeding us talking points instead of doing their job.

For those who want "experienced" politicians, what experience are you looking for?

The experience that put us $34 trillion in debt as they roll out more government programs to buy votes, fund their pet projects, or send money overseas to other countries?

The "experience" that caused the U.S. dollar to lose value to the point where it is worth almost nothing through decades of endless money printing and overspending?

Do you want the experience that allowed the NSA to spy on Americans, violating their 4th Amendment rights?

Do you want the experience that keeps our border open, allowing millions of illegal immigrants to enter unchecked; allows corporations and PACs to run our government; and that kept us in a 20 year war in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Joe Biden has spent 45+ years in politics, but under him, our country is declining economically, we are the verge of another war, and our borders are being invaded. Whereas Trump spent 0 years in office and we had 3 Middle East peace deals with no threat of war, a strong economy (before covid), and illegal immigration was at its lowest.

We are supposed to be a government of, for, and by the people, but instead we are a government of, for, and by the political elite because we keep electing "experienced" politicians and wonder why they always seem to serve themselves and only pay attention to the electorate when its an election year.

What do you think of the filibuster?

The filibuster should remain intact. It prevents the majority from trampling over the minority.

Is there a particular senator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

No.

How would you evaluate a judicial nominee?

On whether that person would uphold the Constitution of the United States and follow jurisprudence, or will they impose their political ideology on others.

What kind of relationships would you build with other senators?

Ones based on respect and equality as colleagues.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is sometimes necessary, depending on the issue. However, both sides need to give a little. Compromise can never be one-way.

How should the U.S. Senate use its investigative powers?

Sparingly.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None.

What criteria would you apply when deciding whether to confirm presidential appointees to their Cabinet?

Will they follow the U.S. Constitution and protect the rights on individuals.

What committees interest you?

Committees overlooking Science and Technology.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Necessary. The people deserve to know what their tax dollars are being spent on. In most cases, we do not get that. We get an overview, released by the Congressional Budget Office, but we do not get a detailed itemized account of where our money is going.

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.

2022

Janet McNulty completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McNulty's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I attended Northern State University in South Dakota where I graduated in December 2006 with a B.A. in History. Following graduation, I moved to West Virginia for a job offer that fell through, beginning an eight-year period of unemployment where I took any temporary job I could just to pay bills. In the past three years I studied IT at Southern New Hampshire University and graduated in 2021 with a M.S. in Information Technology. Currently, I work full time in a grocery store as I pursue opportunities to use my degree. I do not come from wealth. I’ve worked hard every day since I was 16 and understand the value of hard work and sacrifice. I never wanted a career in politics and have tried to run away from it, but the last two years showed me that we have career politicians, many of whom come from wealthy and well-connected families, who believe that they own us and can run our lives for us and who have been in politics my entire lifetime. We also do not need future career politicians.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

A Younger, yet Mature, Generation Accepting the Responsibility to Protect Our Individual Liberty.
Protect the Second Amendment.
Protect the Private Property Rights of West Virginians.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am against vaccine mandates and vaccine passports. We are all individuals and have the inherent right to determine what goes inside our own bodies. No one should be forced to choose between their job and putting something they are uncomfortable with in their bodies, nor should your liberties be held hostage until you comply with a mandate issued by a bureaucracy that answers to no one and by a government that never follows its own dictates.

I am against political dynasties. Our government is meant to be of, by, and for the people, but what we have is a government of, by, and for the political elites and well connected. It is time for real people to stand up and govern themselves. This is why I intend to make it illegal for the immediate family member of a current office holder to be able to run for that same seat during the first term that it is vacant, this way it does not get passed down like some sort of family heirloom.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my parents. They have always been there to help me through hardship and offer advice. They also taught me the value of hard work and the self-reliance needed to overcome adversity. My parents were never helicopter parents.

As far as public figures go, I admire the way Donald Trump did not pretend to be someone he wasn't when he ran for the office of the presidency. He was, at the very least, sincere.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Law by Frederic Bastiat.

George Washington's Leadership Lessons by James C. Rees
George Washington Dealmaker in Chief by Cyrus A. Ansary

John Adams by David McCullough

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty.

Integrity.
Humility.
Dedication.

Courage.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm straightforward and don't mince words. I work hard and am dedicated to my tasks.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The responsibility of any representative is to give the people their voice and their judgement.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A Subaru.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Kosovo in 1999. I was 15 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Taco John's in Glasgow Montana. worked there for two years and left after high school graduation to attend college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

I read a lot of books and it is difficult for me to narrow it down to a single favorite, but some of the ones I have read more than once are The Hobbit, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Tree of Liberty, and Solaris Seethes. All of these stories cover themes, such as, standing up for what is right, courage, helping others, and how hatred can tear us apart.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Why would I want to be something that isn't real? I would rather be myself. Fictional characters and the stories woven around them can and do inspire us, but it is better to use the lessons they've learned and enrich your life.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

There's two. "God's Country" by Blake Shelton and "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Starting and sustaining a career in my field of study.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The governor and the state legislature are equals and they each check the other. The governor is the executive of the state and is charged with enforcing the laws passed by the state legislature and signed into law by him. He is also charged with providing leadership for the state as a whole and charged with protecting the individual rights of citizens. Both are to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the State Constitution.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

The greatest challenge is developing new income streams for the state of West Virginia that is not solely dependent upon mineral extraction. We need to expand our economy to include light manufacturing (textile, small home appliances, or car manufacturing), technology development, and tourism. West Virginia has a treasure trove of natural attractions that can be turned into state parks and used to encourage tourism within the state.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of a unicameral state legislature, in your opinion?

I believe that there is no benefit to a unicameral legislature. In a unicameral legislature, like what Nebraska has, can pass anything it wishes with any checks or balances. This is why I believe strongly in a bicameral legislature. West Virginia has such a legislature, made up of the House of Delegate and the Senate. The House represents the people and sometimes be a bunch of hotheads passing several pieces of legislation with no regard for the consequences. The purpose of the Senate is to slow it down encourage all parties within the legislature to work together to do what is in the best interest of the state and her people.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

What a loaded question. Anyone running for office for the first time will have no prior experience in government of politics. Any individual who does probably comes from a political dynasty and has been groomed since birth for such a career. No, previous experience in government or politics is not needed when serving in the state legislature. Life experience is. Maturity is needed. A person seeking to serve must understand humility and the responsibility they will bear. Getting bitch-slapped by life a few times teaches you that.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. You will be working with them throughout your term. If you don't build a repoire with other legislatures, none of you will do what is in the best interest of the state.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

Honesty. Redistricting should be population based only and the district lines should be a straight as possible. gerrymandering should not be allowed. It is dishonest and cheating. The districts should never be redesigned to get certain parties of officeholders out of office.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

At this point, I do not have a desired committee position.

If you are a current legislator, what appealed to you about your current committees?

I am not a current legislator.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

No.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes. I have toyed with the idea of running for the U.S. Senate. That could change in the future.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

To avoid abuse of power, as has been seen in Michigan under Governor Whitmer, the legislature should over see the use of emergency powers. Any emergency powers granted to the governor should have an expiration date, at which point the legislature will determine if the continued use of emergency powers is warranted, and even that will have an expiration date.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

I believe that people should not compromise for the sake of compromise or for the sake appearing bi-partisan. Sometimes compromise is necessary. This is an indisputable fact. Even the Founders realized this. But compromise should never come at the expense of your principles. If you have to give up your integrity, then do not concede.

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.

Janet McNulty campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. Senate West Virginia	Lost primary	$672	$3,595
2022	West Virginia House of Delegates District 94	Lost primary	$14,513	$11,590
Grand total			$15,184	$15,184
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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U.S. Senate West Virginia

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 5, 2022
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 12, 2024

[show]

West Virginia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Shelley Capito (R)

Jim Justice (R)

Representatives

District 1

Carol Miller (R)

District 2

Riley Moore (R)

Republican Party (4)

[bio-1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 5, 2022

[2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 12, 2024

[1]

[2]

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Janet McNulty

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate West Virginia

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate West Virginia

Endorsements

2022

General election

General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 94

Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 94

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

2022

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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