Mike Manypenny
Republican | West Virginia
Candidate Profile
Leans Liberal
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Mike Manypenny
Party
Republican
Election Year
2026
Election
Republican Primary and Municipal General
Race
State Senate, District 14
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
West Virginia University, Morgantown, BS, 1986
WORK & MILITARY
(Candidate did not provide)
AFFILIATIONS
Taylor County Family Resource Network, President/Vice President
Northern WV Centers for Independent Living, Board memer since 2000
Taylor County Project HOP2E Food Bank and Pantry, Founder and President
Tygart Valley Chamber of Commerce, Founder and Vice President
Taylor County Substance Abuse Prevention Partners, President
Taylor County Farmers Market Association, Founder
Tygart Vallley Child Advocacy Centers, Founder and Board member
Monongalia Solid Waste Task Force, Board member for promoting recycling
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
West Virginia House of Delegates member, 2008-2014
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
(Candidate did not provide)
SCORECARDS
CONSERVATIVE ORGANIZATIONS
LIBERAL ORGANIZATIONS
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
LIBERAL
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (2)
ActBlue (2015)
State Democratic Party Organizations (2014)
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (3)
Sierra Club (2016)
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (2016)
ActBlue (2015)
OTHER INFORMATION
Signed US Term Limits Pledge in 2020.
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, should not receive taxpayer funds from federal, state, or local governments (including Title X grants).
Strongly Agree
Under what circumstances should an elective abortion be allowed?
Rape and or incest.
Human life deserves legal protection from conception until natural death.
Strongly Agree
The lives of human embryos created through artificial methods ought to be protected from purposeful destruction.
Neutral
Embryos unfertilized would be discarded through a menstrual cycle naturally, so I don’t have an opinion otherwise.
The Comstock Act, which bans interstate transportation of abortion-inducing drugs, should be enforced.
Strongly Agree
Penalties for distribution should be enforced.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
What does "separation of church and state" mean to you?
I think that the drafters of the constitution intended that there be a conceptual division between religion and government because we are a country of many religions
Individuals and businesses should be required to provide services even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Disagree
I think it’s self explanatory.
NATIONAL SECURITY
The Chinese Communist Party poses serious military, cyber security, intellectual property, and global economic threats to the United States.
Strongly Agree
We need to target these attempts against our country with aggressive tactics to deter and undermine any attempts to infiltrate our proprietary information.
Is the United States' relationship with Israel important, and if so why?
Absolutely! Israel is a key ally.
HEALTHCARE
What most closely matches your view on healthcare: A) Healthcare for all should be guaranteed and funded by the government with no private healthcare option. (includes "universal healthcare," "medicare for all," etc.) B) Healthcare insurance funded by the government should be available for all who want it, along with private healthcare options. C) Medicaid and Medicare should remain available, but no other taxpayer-funded programs are necessary. D) Taxpayer funded health care should be abolished in all forms, and Medicaid and Medicare should be defunded.
C with a little B included. In regard to Medicare and Medicaid.I believe they have been around for a long time and could use some tweaks to reduce waste and efficiency. In regard to B.I think the government has the clout and buying power to purchase healthcare in bulk at a reasonable rate to help people afford better healthcare options with additional private healthcare options for increased coverage.
The government should keep a database of people with various ongoing medical illnesses to assess the economic burden of treatment.
Strongly Disagree
We need to keep government out of our business as much as possible in every aspect of life.
ECONOMY
What is your position on the minimum wage?
Minimum wages should be raised by attaching it to the rate of inflation.
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
I oppose eminent domain that takes private property and believe that free enterprise should be all that’s necessary for acquiring needed land over forcibly taking it .
List your top 3-5 priorities to eliminate government waste.
Maintaining our roads and highways over building new ones. Ensure that tax breaks for economic development are tied to job creation. Digitize government services to reduce paperwork and overhead.
IMMIGRATION
I support the existence of sanctuary cities to protect undocumented persons.
Disagree
EDUCATION
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Neutral
I don’t know enough about the functions of the US Department of Education to make that determination.
Foreign governments should be prohibited from funding American education.
Neutral
Only if no influence comes along with it
CRIMINAL JUSTICE & PUBLIC SAFETY
What should be the goal of the criminal justice system?
Penalize! That’s why it’s called the penal system. I see areas where we can save the taxpayers money by requiring in home confinement for non sexual and non violent criminals so they can be put on work release to continue earning a living to help support their families so their families don’t have to go on public supported assistance.
Government has a responsibility to protect children from sexual exploitation during online activities.
Strongly Agree
Come on. Do you really think this needs a response? Children should be protected from any and all exploitation of any kind!
Sharia law should not be accepted or incorporated in any form within the legal framework of the United States.
Strongly Agree
It doesn’t fit in with our constitution and should be banned and anyone practicing this should be punished
2ND AMENDMENT
What restrictions on gun ownership are needed to protect public safety?
Background checks for and the prohibited sale to anyone with a serious mental illness.
ABOUT YOU
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Conservative
I have grown more conservative over the years. I was called radical by my Democratic colleagues while I was in the legislature and reprimanded when voting with my republican colleagues. I have always been independent of being beholden to any political party and am mainly or strictly beholden to the people I represent.
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
No!
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
No!
VALUES
Government should recognize and support the fundamental right and essential duty of parents to direct their child's health and educational well-being.
Strongly Agree
I do however believe that parents doing homeschooling should be required to have a minimum of a high school diploma
Attempts to physically or socially transition a child to the opposite sex constitute child abuse.
Strongly Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman. No government has the authority to alter this definition.
Strongly Agree
I support the expansion of gambling in my state.
Neutral
We already have that and I don’t think there is a will to eliminate it.
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I was raised a Methodist and have followed and attended several Christian churches including Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian and Unitarian. I have a desire to understand the differences of each of our Christian brothers and sisters have along with what we all have in common.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
It’s important to protect the legitimacy of our elections
EQUALITY
Reparations should be given to people on the basis of race.
Strongly Disagree
Why?
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Man-made climate change is a global threat and requires urgent political action.
Agree
I am a scientist a farmer along with being a businessman. I see extremes in climate that are not common. I see the science and the impacts these extreme climate swings have on our communities and country. I think there are political solutions utilizing free market economy to find solutions to work on potentially reversing these trends.
What do you believe is the most reliable energy source that will supply the growing demand for electricity?
Coal has always been the most reliable form of energy with more than a century of supply left. I do believe we need to transition to a more sustainable form sometime so our future generations aren’t caught flat footed when the coal resources run out
