The West Virginia Republican Party says Ken Reed removed himself from the State Executive Committee last week after he filed a write-in campaign against the party’s nominee in Senate District 15. The state party’s announcement also warned county executive committee members that the same principle applied beyond the State Executive Committee.
Now Wood County Republicans have put their position in writing.
A notice issued by the Wood County Republican Executive Committee states that they and the WVGOP “support the duly elected Republican candidates who won their primary elections on May 12, 2026.”
“The voters spoke through the normal election process,” the notice states. “We must support the election process and maintain the integrity of the elections.”
The notice does not name Vernon Criss, but Criss is the only write-in candidate currently running in Wood County. He is challenging Republican nominee Charles Hartzog in House District 12 after losing to Hartzog in the May primary, 688 votes to 423.
Wood County Republican Executive Committee Chairman Rick Modesitt, who also serves on the State Republican Executive Committee, said he supports the state party’s position. “As a member of the state committee, I support the action by Chairman Josh Holstein for WV,” Modesitt said. “Like it or hate it, the voters spoke on May 12.”
“There were winners and there were losers,” Modesitt said. “Like it or hate it, we must support the will of the people…they spoke.”
Modesitt went further, arguing that allowing candidates to return as write-in candidates after losing a primary undermines the primary process itself. “For candidates to jump back in the race as a write in simply is insulting the election process itself,” he said.
Modesitt also suggested the issue may ultimately require judicial intervention. “Perhaps this and other similar cases should be decided by a Judge prior to November 3rd,” he said.
And if write-in challenges remain permissible, Modesitt said lawmakers should reconsider the state’s primary system altogether. “If it is allowed to stand, then Legislators should draft legislation to simply abolish all primary elections as they are meaningless,” he said.
Modesitt provided additional context to the WASP after the story was published, saying the Wood County committee formally addressed the issue at its September 15 meeting. “At our most recent committee meeting Sept 15 a motion was made and passed to only support and assist candidates who won their primary elections. Period,” Modesitt said.
Modesitt said the Wood County committee’s position was directly related to the Reed matter and the state party’s action. “The post made was directly relating to Ken Reed and in support of chairman Holstiens action to remove him from the committee,” he said.
He also emphasized the distinction between Reed and Criss. “The primary difference is Criss does not serve as a member of either executive committee,” Modesitt said.
Criss Pushes Back
Criss disputes the significance of the Wood County Republican Executive Committee’s opposition. “I have never been involved with Wood County Republican Executive Committee,” Criss told the WASP.
Criss also alleged that the committee is under political pressure. “I believe they have to ‘toe the line’ with Morrisey,” he said.
Modesitt directly disputed that allegation. “As for toeing the line and doing what Governor Morrisey says......since I became chairman in June I have had zero contact with him or his staff,” Modesitt said.
Criss also pointed to support he says he is receiving outside the Republican Party organization. “The Wood County teachers association endorsed me by 100% vote last night,” Criss said. “The State teachers association will be doing their endorsement on Friday. Some of the building trades have endorsed me also.”
The competing claims illustrate the two different arguments now surrounding the District 12 write-in race.
The Republican Party establishment is emphasizing the May primary and the authority of voters who participated in it. Criss is emphasizing the November electorate and support he says he is receiving from organizations outside the Republican Party apparatus.
The WASP has previously reported Criss’s argument that the closed Republican primary excluded the roughly 96 percent of District 12 voters who did not participate in the May Republican primary. The statewide primary data also show that 40,046 voters participated in the May primary while being ineligible to vote in Republican contests.
That provides the factual backdrop for Criss’s argument that November’s electorate should have another choice.
The Republican response is now equally clear: the May primary produced a nominee, and the party believes Republican organizations should support that nominee.
The Reed case has added another layer. Reed, an elected State Executive Committee member, lost his position after filing a write-in campaign against a Republican nominee. Criss occupies a different position as a private citizen and a sitting Republican delegate, and the consequences imposed on Reed do not automatically apply to him.
But the underlying political question is the same: How much room should a political party allow for a candidate to challenge its nominee after losing a primary? Wood County Republicans have now answered that question for themselves. Vernon Criss is still on the November ballot as a write-in.
The fight over who speaks for Republican voters in District 12 is not over. 🐝
The WV WASP is a West Virginia political news, humor, and commentary outlet. wvwasp.com | @wvwasp on X.