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John Unger
John Unger (Democratic Party) was a member of the West Virginia State Senate, representing District 16. He assumed office in 1998. He left office on August 20, 2021.
Unger (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the West Virginia State Senate to represent District 16. He won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Unger resigned from the state Senate in August 2021 after Berkeley County Chief Circuit Judge Michael Lorenson appointed him to serve on the Berkeley County Magistrate Court.[1]
Biography
Unger's professional experience includes working as a missionary for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hong Kong in 1988 and from 1990 to 1991. He also worked as special assistant to the director for the United States Refugee Program in Hong Kong from 1989 to 1991, coordinator and founder of the West Virginia University Office of Service Learning Programs, and chief of staff in the Hong Kong Legislative Council for Councilor Simon Ip from 1994 to 1995. He then worked as vice president of Community and Economic Development for Van Wyk Enterprises from 1996 to 1998. Unger became director of communications for Save the Children International, Iraq in 2003.[2] Unger earned his B.A. from West Virginia University in 1993 and his BA/M.A. from the University of Oxford in 2004.[2]
Committee assignments
2021-2022
Unger was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Senate Health and Human Resources Committee
- Workforce Committee
2019-2020
Unger was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Senate Education Committee
- Senate Health and Human Resources Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Resources |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Unger served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • Enrolled Bills |
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Resources |
| • Interstate Cooperation |
| • Pensions |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Unger served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Children and Poverty, Chair |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Judiciary |
| • Rules |
| • Water Resources, Chair |
| • Joint Education |
| • Joint Finance |
| • Government and Finance |
| • Health and Human Resources Accountability |
| • Judiciary |
| • Outcomes-Based Funding Models in Higher Education |
| • Rule-Making Review |
| • Special Investigations |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Unger served on these committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Children, Juveniles and Other Issues |
| • Economic Development |
| • Education |
| • Joint Education |
| • Education Accountability |
| • Infrastructure, Chair |
| • Finance |
| • Joint Finance |
| • Judiciary |
| • PEIA, Seniors and Long Term Care, Chair |
| • Rule-Making Review |
| • Rules |
| • Water Resources, Chair |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Unger served on these committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Agriculture |
| • Economic Development |
| • Education |
| • Finance |
| • Health and Human Resources |
| • Natural Resources |
| • Transportation and Infrastructure |
Issues
Free school lunches
In 2013, Unger visited a school to talk to students about government processes when he heard one student say that having food at school would be preferable to a longer recess. Unger asked the students how many were in situations where their parents had trouble feeding them at home, and the vast majority raised their hands. Unger subsequently supported a program that would provide free lunches to all students in West Virginia public schools, which overwhelmingly passed both the Senate and the House.[3]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for West Virginia State Senate District 16
Incumbent John Unger defeated Michael Folk in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Unger (D) | 52.1 | 18,802 |
 | Michael Folk (R) | 47.9 | 17,257 | |
| Total votes: 36,059 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16
Incumbent John Unger advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | John Unger |
| ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16
Michael Folk advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Michael Folk |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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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 John Unger was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Larry V. Faircloth was unopposed in the Republican primary. Unger defeated Faircloth in the general election.[4][5]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  John Unger Incumbent |
52.5% | 12,287 | |
| Republican | Larry V. Faircloth | 47.5% | 11,122 | |
| Total Votes | 23,409 | |||
2010
John Unger was re-elected to the West Virginia State Senate, District 16. He defeated Democrat Patrick Murphy in the May 11 primary. Unger defeated Republican Craig Blair in the November 2, 2010, general election.[6][7][8]
| West Virginia State Senate, District 16 (2010) General Election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| John Unger (D)
|
18,800 | 50.43% | ||
| Craig Blair (R) | 18,482 | 49.57% | ||
| West Virginia State Senate, District 16 Democratic Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| John Ronald Unger II (D)
|
4,073 | 43.27% | ||
| Patrick Hale Murphy (D) | 1,784 | 18.95% | ||
2006
On November 7, 2006, John Unger won re-election to the West Virginia State Senate, District 16.[9]
Unger raised $139,583 for his campaign, while Jerry Mays raised $40,631.[10]
| West Virginia Senate, District 16 (2006) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| John Unger(D)
|
19,640 | |||
| Jerry Mays | 10,729 | |||
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.
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.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
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.
2021
In 2021, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from February 10 to April 10.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on the manufacturing industry.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 7.
|
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 9 through March 9.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 through March 10.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from February 8 through April 9. The legislature held a special session from May 4 to June 26. The legislature held its second special session from August 1 to September 15.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 12.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 14 through March 14.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 through March 10.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Unger and his wife, Marti, were married in October 2021.[11]
See also
- West Virginia State Legislature
- West Virginia State Senate
- West Virginia Senate Committees
- West Virginia Joint Committees
- West Virginia State Senate District 16
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Herald Standard, "Sen. John Unger to resign, take magistrate position," August 12, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed March 14, 2014
- ↑ WV Healthy, "Student’s comments drive Sen. John Unger," accessed April 27, 2015
- ↑ 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, "West Virginia official list of 2010 candidates," accessed March 14, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official Primary Results," accessed March 14, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2010 General Election results," accessed March 14, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Official Returns for the 2006 Election," accessed March 14, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "2006 contributions," accessed March 14, 2014
- ↑ The Inter-Mountain, "Rev. John Unger II and Marti Steiner," October 16, 2021
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
West Virginia State Senate District 16 1998-2021 |
Succeeded by Hannah Geffert (D) |
