West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 candidate surveys, 2022
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This article shows responses from candidates in the 2022 election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidates and election results
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100
William Ridenour defeated Susan Benzinger in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | William Ridenour (R)  | 54.8 | 3,390 |
| Susan Benzinger (D) | 45.2 | 2,801 | ||
| Total votes: 6,191 | |||
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Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
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William Ridenour (R)
American Liberty is enduring its most dangerous period in our history; we are at a crossroads – either regain our Freedoms or descend into tyranny. The People must secure their Liberty – government is not our guarantor. Government must be as restricted as possible to ensure Liberty, while avoiding anarchy. Our Rights are God given and not derived from any government. State legislatures must resume their role as the principal bulwark against the federal government, and must zealously guard against overreach by the federal government and bureaucracy. To resolve excesses by the federal government and threats to Liberty, a Convention of States to amend the Constitution to strengthen Liberty and restrict government is critical.
West Virginia is an Oasis of Liberty – we can’t sit by as proponents of tyranny attack our Freedoms. Our society & economy should be open – individual responsibility should be the standard for all; oppressive mandates should not be imposed on a free society. I am proudly pro-Life & pro-Family. The 1st & 2nd Amendments are critical to a functioning Republic and must be defended by every means – the People must punish corporations & groups that seek to undermine the Constitution and our Liberty. Free Enterprise, particularly small business, is the best economic system for a free society – government must avoid interfering with Free Enterprise. Racism, of any stripe, is an attack on Liberty that should never be encouraged or tolerated.
An ordered society is critical to a functional government – equal justice and effective law enforcement are pillars of an ordered society. Security of the People is government’s most critical function – our police must be supported. Illegal immigration is a threat to our Liberty–state governments must do more to counter this threat. Corruption in government is a betrayal of Liberty, and should be eradicated. Professional politicians must be regularly turned out to ensure the People are their own representatives. As the Constitution stipulates, state legislatures have authority over elections – the states must re-assert their primacy over elections to ensure they are free, fair and isolated from political partisan manipulation.
West Virginia is an Oasis of Liberty – we can’t sit by as proponents of tyranny attack our Freedoms. Our society & economy should be open – individual responsibility should be the standard for all; oppressive mandates should not be imposed on a free society. I am proudly pro-Life & pro-Family. The 1st & 2nd Amendments are critical to a functioning Republic and must be defended by every means – the People must punish corporations & groups that seek to undermine the Constitution and our Liberty. Free Enterprise, particularly small business, is the best economic system for a free society – government must avoid interfering with Free Enterprise. Racism, of any stripe, is an attack on Liberty that should never be encouraged or tolerated.
An ordered society is critical to a functional government – equal justice and effective law enforcement are pillars of an ordered society. Security of the People is government’s most critical function – our police must be supported. Illegal immigration is a threat to our Liberty–state governments must do more to counter this threat. Corruption in government is a betrayal of Liberty, and should be eradicated. Professional politicians must be regularly turned out to ensure the People are their own representatives. As the Constitution stipulates, state legislatures have authority over elections – the states must re-assert their primacy over elections to ensure they are free, fair and isolated from political partisan manipulation.
William Ridenour (R)
Reducing federal & state government bureaucracies. Eliminating federal government overreach. Fighting Federal political repression. Term limits. Government accountability. Ending corruption in government. Ensuring free, fair & honest elections. Education: Refocusing on core subjects, including history; Focusing on classroom teaching, instead of federal, state & school bureaucracies; School choice; Opposing anti-American, anti-Liberty, anti-Free Enterprise & racist propaganda; More in-person classroom instruction by teachers, instead of dubious computer systems. Jobs and Local Economy: Attracting businesses and high-skills public servants. Criminal Justice: Requiring prosecution of certain crimes. Stopping illegal immigration & drugs.
William Ridenour (R)
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, U. S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, and Ronald Reagan. These were great men, great leaders and great innovators. If I were to pick any one, it would be George Washington, not only because he was president and the key figure in the Revolution, but because he understood the People would have been made him a king. But Washington believed with all his heart that Liberty was the destiny for our country and the world.
William Ridenour (R)
I would recommend the paper my son and I wrote “Prophesying Tyranny - The Anti-Federalists and the Fate of Our World.” The paper is on my campaign website. I would also recommend Mark Levin’s political philosophy books, particularly Liberty and Tyranny.
William Ridenour (R)
I've studied the U.S. Constitution, and read and know the West Virginia Constitution. I know the Constitutional role of our Legislature. I also know how government works at both the federal and state levels, and what roles were intended under federalism for our House of Delegates. I believe my role as a Delegate is to represent the will of the people who elect me.
William Ridenour (R)
The war in Vietnam. I began to understand the war when I was eight years old, as I watched the beginning of the daily casualty counts on the news. I watched as the media began to deliberately manipulate information, particularly Walter Cronkite’s betrayal on the 1968 Tet Offensive, to undermine our troops and our allies largely because the country elected a Republican president, Nixon, rather than the media’s preferred Democrat as president.
William Ridenour (R)
From the time I was 14, I was a sawyer at my father's sawmill, building pallets and many other jobs. It was physically very difficult, and often dangerous, work. However, my first fully paid job was as a Marine officer. I was a Marine until my retirement after 20 years, but I will always be a Marine.
William Ridenour (R)
The Bible. Because it is the word of God.
William Ridenour (R)
The governor’s role is to execute the direction of the People via their representatives in the state legislature. Unfortunately, too many governors in the country are exercising their authorities beyond what was ever intended by both the nation’s and most states’ founders. In certain cases, such as California, New Jersey, Michigan, New York, and even recently, until Glenn Youngkin’s victory, in Virginia with Governor Blackface, they have become mini-tyrants. The state legislature should be providing direction to the executive branch, and the executive branch, under the guidance of the governor, should EXECUTE the legislature’s direction, not develop often contrary policies and direction. The state legislature should provide active oversight of the executive branch’s execution of the legislature’s direction. If the legislature does not believe the executive branch is accurately following its direction or is actively deviating from the direction, then the legislature should have the authority, not just via impeachment, to dismiss executive branch members.
William Ridenour (R)
The legislature should oversee all use of emergency powers. The members of the legislature are the most direct representatives of the People. The People need to exercise their power of their own government, particularly including any use of emergency powers, as these powers can and have been abused by many governments in the past. Any use of emergency powers should result in immediate notification to the legislature. If actions resulting from the emergency powers will have any significant impact on the People or will last for more than a short period, the legislature should be called into a special session to discuss and vote on the use of emergency powers.
William Ridenour (R)
I do not believe that compromise of morals or values is necessary to develop good policymaking. I believe that practical compromise to achieve a pragmatic solution may be necessary for certain issues, but any compromise involving changing morals or values is a betrayal of the trust the voters put into their representatives.
See also
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