Dear John,

Here's our statement from yesterday's results in Charleston:

Majority of Charleston Can’t Wait Slate Beats Odds, Gears Up for the General

Yesterday, Charleston voters made their voices heard: it is time for change in the Capital city. Charleston can’t wait for cannabis, broadband, and west side investment. Charleston can’t wait for a government that serves everyone… not just the Charleston elite.

5 out of 10 of the Charleston Can’t Wait slate of candidates advanced to the general election, beating out corporate-backed, establishment opponents in the process. And 2 more Charleston Can’t Wait candidates are still in races that are “too close to call” as of Wednesday morning.

Those advancing include:

Joe Solomon, At-Large

Sheena Griffith, 1st Ward

Beth Kerns, 7th Ward

Chelsea Steelhammer, 10th Ward

Frank Annie, 13th Ward

Over the next two weeks, we wait on absentee ballots and a possible recount to determine if  Robert Sheets (8th Ward) and Corey Zinn (At-Large) will advance. 

The success of the slate would not have been possible without the contributions of James Elam (18th Ward), Candice Maxwell (5th Ward), Deanna McKinney (At-large), and the dozens of neighborhood captains and volunteers who have offered time, money, and courage to this campaign.

Charleston Can’t Wait candidates have challenged conventional wisdom from the start. They rejected corporate donations and chose door-to-door canvassing over expensive ad buys. Instead of running on personal traits, they ran as a slate—leaning on each other for support and expertise. And rather than courting powerful interests, they ran against the Charleston Elite—wealthy landlords and lawyers who have long controlled city hall. 

The slate also traded in vague campaign promises for bold policy plans: cannabis decriminalization, municipal broadband, the creation of a Corporate Crime and Corruption Unit at CPD, and unprecedented investments in small business, harm reduction, and West Side development. The platform was built by and for working class Charlestonians. Charleston Can’t Wait surveyed more than 1000 voters through town halls, door-to-door canvasses, letter-writing, and online questionnaires. 

Like their name suggests, the group is not waiting to take action on these issues. They’ve already organized a petition drive to put cannabis on the November ballot and invited engineers to brief Charleston residents on municipal broadband.

This is just one highlight from a hard-fought primary. And this is what change is going to look like: big ideas, highs and lows, and all of us working hard so that some of us can get through. Maybe your city is next?

Stay tuned for another email (about school board races, delegate wins, and more) later this week. Or better yet? Sign-up for our next WV Can't Wait Statewide Zoom on May 24th at 7pm. RSVP here: https://forms.gle/xkuuAJBg7tZCc5c98.

At that meeting, we will debrief the primary, lay out our strategy for the fall, and talk through a half dozen ways for supporters like you to pitch in. We'd love to see you there. 

Sincerely,

Katey & Stephen

PS The average donation to the WV Can't Wait Action Committee over the last year was $31.50. Thanks for pitching in. It adds up. We're gonna need your help in the general. Click on the button below to make a donation:

WV Can't Wait is a movement to win a people's government in the Mountain State. For more information, visit wvcantwait.com.