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Roger Hanshaw
2022 - Present
2026
2
Roger Hanshaw (Republican Party) is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 62. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Hanshaw became speaker of the state House on Aug. 29, 2018.[1]
Hanshaw was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1980.[2] He received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from West Virginia University in 2002 and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 2006.[3]
In 2006, Hanshaw started working as a special assistant to the West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture.[3] During that time, Hanshaw said, “It became clear to me that if one wants to make an impact in public policy in America, one of the tools by which to do that is to combine some form of technical training with training as an attorney, or at least developing a better, more fully developed understanding of the lawmaking process.”[4]
From 2008 to 2012, Hanshaw worked as the associate director of West Virginia University Extension Service while attending law school part-time.[3][4] Hanshaw completed his legal studies in 2012 and started working as an attorney at Bowles Rice LLP.[3] According to the firm’s website, Hanshaw “concentrates his legal practice on the environmental and technical issues that arise in business transactions, as well as regulatory compliance matters and litigation.”[5] While working at the firm, Hanshaw served as chief of staff and general counsel to then-state Sen. Mike Hall (R) from 2013 to 2014.[3]
In 2014, Hanshaw ran to represent District 33 in the state House. During the campaign, Hanshaw’s platform focused on creating jobs by developing incentives for entrepreneurs and decreasing regulations.[6] After running unopposed in the Republican primary, Hanshaw defeated incumbent state Rep. David Walker (D) in the general election 55% to 45%. Hanshaw and Walker faced each other two other times for the district in 2016 and 2018. Hanshaw defeated Walker by a margin of two percentage points in 2016 and 12 percentage points in 2018. After voters re-elected him to represent the district for a third time in 2020 by a margin of 36 percentage points, redistricting moved him to District 62 in 2022.
Hanshaw was first elected to serve as speaker in the state House in 2018 after Gov. Jim Justice (R) appointed then-Speaker Tim Armstead (R) to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.[1] As a result, Hanshaw became the second Republican since 1931 to be elected speaker.[7] Hanshaw was elected to a full two-year term in 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025. After being sworn in for a fifth term as speaker, Hanshaw said, “It was a humbling honor the first time five elections ago in 2018 when this body gave me this opportunity. But it’s been an even greater honor each time since then, because I take it as an affirmation of your confidence in what I’ve tried to do here and the environment I’ve tried to create.”[8] As speaker, Hanshaw oversaw the consolidation of the chamber's committees in 2025.[9]During the consolidation, the number of committees in the chamber decreased from 21 to six.[9] Each of those six committees included multiple subcommittees.[9] He was also the lead sponsor of a bill prohibiting cellphones in classrooms.[10]
Biography
Roger Hanshaw was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1980.[2] Hanshaw earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from West Virginia University in 2002, a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 2006, and a J.D. from the West Virginia University College of Law in 2012. His career experience includes working as an attorney at Bowles Rice LLP, as chief of staff and general counsel to West Virginia State Senate Minority Leader Mike Hall (R), as associate director of the WVU Extension Service at WVU and as a special assistant to the commissioner at the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.[11]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Hanshaw was assigned to the following committees:
2021-2022
Hanshaw was assigned to the following committees:
- House Rules Committee, Chair
2019-2020
Hanshaw was assigned to the following committees:
- House Rules Committee, Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| • Enrolled Bills, Chair |
| • Judiciary, Vice chair |
| • Political Subdivisions |
| • Rules |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Hanshaw served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • Political Subdivisions |
| • Small Business Entrepreneurship and Economic Development |
Presidential preference
2016 presidential endorsement
✓ Hanshaw endorsed John Kasich for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[12]
- See also: Endorsements for John Kasich
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.
Noteworthy legislation
- House Bill 2003 (2025): Hanshaw was the lead sponsor for House Bill 2003, which banned cellphones in classes.[10] To read more about cell-phone policies in other states, click here.
Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2024
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 62
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw won election in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 62 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Roger Hanshaw (R) | 100.0 | 6,224 |
| Total votes: 6,224 | |||
 = 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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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 62
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw defeated Justin Bordas and Laura McGinnis in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 62 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Hanshaw | 71.5 | 1,805 |
 | Justin Bordas | 15.7 | 397 | |
 | Laura McGinnis | 12.8 | 323 | |
| Total votes: 2,525 | |||
| = 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 Hanshaw in this election.
2022
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2022
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 62
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw defeated Laura McGinnis in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 62 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Hanshaw (R) | 81.5 | 3,973 |
| Laura McGinnis (ACT) | 18.5 | 899 | |
| Total votes: 4,872 | |||
| = 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 62
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 62 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Hanshaw | 100.0 | 1,321 |
| Total votes: 1,321 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2020
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw defeated Larry Cottrell in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Hanshaw (R) | 68.4 | 4,811 |
| Larry Cottrell (D) | 31.6 | 2,223 | ||
| Total votes: 7,034 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33
Larry Cottrell advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Larry Cottrell | 100.0 | 1,826 | |
| Total votes: 1,826 | |||
| = 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 33
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Hanshaw | 100.0 | 1,610 |
| Total votes: 1,610 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw defeated David Walker in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Hanshaw (R) | 56.0 | 2,969 |
 | David Walker (D) | 44.0 | 2,333 | |
| Total votes: 5,302 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33
David Walker advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | David Walker |
| ||||
| = 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 33
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Hanshaw |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the West Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 10, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was January 30, 2016.
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw defeated David Walker in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 general election.[13][14]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 33, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Roger Hanshaw Incumbent |
50.98% | 3,269 | |
| Democratic | David Walker | 49.02% | 3,143 | |
| Total Votes | 6,412 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
David Walker ran unopposed in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 Democratic primary.[15][16]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 33, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | David Walker (unopposed) | |
Incumbent Roger Hanshaw ran unopposed in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 Republican primary.[15][16]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 33, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Roger Hanshaw Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the West Virginia House of Delegates 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 David Walker was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Roger Hanshaw was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hanshaw defeated Walker in the general election.[17]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roger Hanshaw |
54.7% | 2,487 | |
| Democratic | David Walker Incumbent | 45.3% | 2,058 | |
| Total Votes | 4,545 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Roger Hanshaw did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Roger Hanshaw did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Roger Hanshaw did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Hanshaw's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[18]
Incentivize West Virginia Entrepreneurs
- Excerpt: "An important part of restoring our local economies is supporting our local business owners and entrepreneurs. We offer benefits and bonuses to large entities that relocate or hang a shingle in our state. I will fight so our own local job creators have the same kind of encouragement."
Local Decisions Made by Local Leaders
- Excerpt: "'Home rule' should not just be a pilot program, only available to a set of handpicked cities around the state. I believe we deserve the same respect and right to govern our own district, as enjoyed by the citizens of Charleston, Huntington and Morgantown. I will work to earn that privilege on behalf of our district in the House of Delegates."
Modern Infrastructure
- Excerpt: "Companies require connectivity and access through high-speed Internet and mobile service to connect us with customers on the next block, and the next continent. Good fiber optics will allow our businesses to exist and grow in the contemporary marketplace. I will be a voice for developing an infrastructure system that will allow us to conduct business and communicate in the modern world."
Meaningful Education Policy
- Excerpt: "I will be supportive and fight for local control of our curriculum, placing an increased emphasis on early childhood education, career preparation and vocational school training – while allowing our school boards to address local problems with local solutions."
Restore our Natural Resource Economy
- Excerpt: "Overregulation has obstructed employment, while we have resources waiting to be utilized. With natural resources comes job opportunity, and we can responsibly protect the environment while getting out of the way of economic growth. I will fight for our natural resource industries, taking my experience as an attorney standing up to overregulation from the EPA and WVDEP to defend our coal, agriculture, energy and natural gas industries in the state capitol."
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.
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
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.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 9. A special session began on September 30 and adjourned on October 8.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to March 11.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 12.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from February 10 to April 10.
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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.
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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.
|
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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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate West Virginia House of Delegates District 62 |
Officeholder West Virginia House of Delegates District 62 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 MetroNews, "House of Delegates votes for Roger Hanshaw to be new speaker," August 29, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 West Virginia Legislature, "Roger Hanshaw (R - Clay, 062)," accessed February 24, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 LinkedIn, "Roger Hanshaw," accessed February 24, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Center for Effective Lawmaking, "Discussing Effective Lawmaking with West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw," December 12, 2024
- ↑ Bowles Rice LLP, "Roger G. Hanshaw," accessed February 24, 2025
- ↑ hanshawforwv.com, "Issues," accessed August 28, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Executive, "West Virginia House of Delegates to Make History," January 13, 2015
- ↑ The Intelligencer, "West Virginia Legislature Gavels In For First Time In 2025," January 9, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 The Preston County News & Journal, "West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw implements bold changes to committee structure," January 9, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 West Virginia Legislature, "House Bill 2003," accessed September 3, 2025
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Roger Hanshaw," accessed February 26, 2023
- ↑ John Kasich for President, "Endorsement: West Virginia State Senators Ryan Ferns and Daniel Hall, Delegates Roger Hanshaw And Matt Rohrbach Think John Kasich Should Be President," accessed November 6, 2015
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed May 3, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," accessed January 30, 2016
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 10, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ hanshawforwv.com, "Issues," accessed August 28, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Horst Sr. (R) |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 62 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 33 2015-2022 |
Succeeded by Jordan Bridges (R) |
