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Joseph de Soto
Joseph de Soto (Democratic Party) was a member-elect of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 91. He did not assume office.
De Soto (Republican Party) ran for election to the West Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 91. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
De Soto completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
On December 11, 2024, De Soto switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic.[1]
On January 8, 2025, the West Virginia House of Delegates voted to declare the District 91 seat vacant after De Soto was not present to take the oath of office. De Soto was arrested on December 12, 2024, and charged with making threats of terrorist acts. He was released on bond on December 23, 2024, and confined to his home while awaiting deliberations by a grand jury.[2]
Biography
Joseph de Soto was born in Oxnard, California. He served in the U.S. Army from 1988 to 1992. He earned a bachelor's degree from La Sierra University, an M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine, and a Ph.D. from Howard University. His career experience includes working as a physician.[3]
De Soto has been affiliated with the following organizations:[3]
- Benefactor
- NRA
- Gun Owners of America
- West Virginia Farm Bureau
- Humane Society
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Institute of Chemists
- National Right to Life
- Eastern Panhandle Business Association
Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2024
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 91
Joseph de Soto defeated Rick Thomson in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 91 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joseph de Soto (R)  | 76.3 | 5,974 |
| Rick Thomson (Constitution Party) | 23.7 | 1,860 | ||
| Total votes: 7,834 | |||
| = 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 91
Joseph de Soto defeated Tammy Hess and incumbent Don Forsht in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 91 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joseph de Soto | 41.6 | 724 |
| Tammy Hess | 33.4 | 581 | ||
 | Don Forsht | 25.0 | 435 | |
| Total votes: 1,740 | |||
| = 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 de Soto in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joseph de Soto completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by de Soto's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- I believe that the role of a Delegate is to Represent and Serve. The Delegate should listen to and represent the views of his district even if he disagrees. The second responsibility is to serve, that is to help his neighbors when they have trouble with the state or local government. Few of us have the money to hire an attorney for $10,000. A simple call from a delegate to the agency is often more powerful than hiring an attorney. I will be a phone call or email away and pray daily asking God for guidance.
- “I recall when homeless in college, few were around to help, especially the government, it was a horrible feeling. Remembering this, I have dedicated my life to helping others. From being a combat medic in the army to spending 6 years on the Indian Reservations and Appalachia giving free health care/research. I still don’t charge my neighbors for this. But, you know, I wouldn’t be here if others hadn’t helped me, and they told me to pay forward , so I am doing that. So, I will probably lose $100,000 a year being a delegate, but, I think it is the best way at this time in my life to help others
- I will always be pro-life, for gun rights, for parental rights, against critical race theory, for protecting the elderly, against crony capitalism, and against transgender men in women's sports and girls shower room
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.
Noteworthy events
Arrest for making terroristic threats (2024)
On December 12, 2024, De Soto was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats against members of the West Virginia House of Delegates, according to the West Virginia State Police. De Soto was booked into Eastern Regional Jail and Corrections Facility on a $300,000 cash bond. He was released on December 23, 2024[4]
“Any person making these threats used to intimidate, disrupt or coerce the members of our West Virginia Legislature or other governmental bodies will not be tolerated,” the West Virginia State Police said in a statement.[5]
On December 11, 2024, De Soto switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democratic, according to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office.[6]
On January 8, 2025, the West Virginia House of Delegates voted to vacate De Soto's seat.[7]
Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) appointed Ian Masters to the West Virginia House of Delegates District 91 on January 23, 2025 to replace de Soto. Masters was sworn in and took office on January 24, 2025.[8]
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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ ‘’New York Times, "Incoming West Virginia Lawmaker Is Accused of Making Terroristic Threats," December 12, 2024
- ↑ Caledonian Record, "West Virginia lawmakers oust delegate-elect on house arrest who made terroristic threats," January 8, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on January 31, 2024
- ↑ ‘’WBOY 12 News NBC (Clarksburg, West Virginia)’’, "De Soto threatened to kill West Virginia delegates: Complaint," December 12, 2024
- ↑ ‘’New York Times, "Incoming West Virginia Lawmaker Is Accused of Making Terroristic Threats," December 12, 2024
- ↑ ‘’New York Times, "Incoming West Virginia Lawmaker Is Accused of Making Terroristic Threats," December 12, 2024
- ↑ ‘’Associated Press, "West Virginia lawmakers oust delegate-elect on house arrest who made terroristic threats," January 8, 2025
- ↑ Parkersburg News and Sentinel, "Masters appointed to vacancy in West Virginia House," January 24, 2025
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Don Forsht (R) |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 91 |
Succeeded by - |
State legislators who have switched political party affiliation
