Del. Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, (right) speaks during the House Democrat’s “Kitchen Table Tour” event at Huntington’s Kitchen on Sept. 11, 2025. He is joined by (left to right) moderator WOWK 13News anchor Amanda Barren, Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, and Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion. (Photo by Amelia Ferrell Knisely/West Virginia Watch)
West Virginia Democratic lawmakers kicked off their statewide tour Thursday in Huntington, fielding questions from local residents concerned about paying their bills, their local schools and health insurance.
A state employee raised a question about the financially-troubled Public Employees Insurance Agency, which wasn’t addressed during the most recent legislative session. “My fundamental question is, is my wife going to lose her health insurance?” he asked.
It was the first stop on West Virginia House Democrats “Kitchen Table Tour” that will take them around the increasingly red state this fall to talk with constituents ahead of the 2026 legislative session. The GOP supermajority in the Legislature ignored pressing issues, Democrats say, like the need for clean drinking water, child care options and skyrocketing utility costs.
“We would like to focus on issues that West Virginians need us to focus on. There are a lot of things that are not getting done,” said Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, who also serves as chair of the state Democratic Party.
About 50 people attended the tour’s first stop at Huntington’s Kitchen.
House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, and Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha, attended the event, along with Sen. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, who is joining House Democrats for part of the tour. Other Democratic lawmakers will join at future stops.
“West Virginia, unlike any other place probably in the union, we’re probably all more alike when it comes to these kitchen table issues,” Lewis said. “Everybody worried about their high-ass utility bill. Everybody worried about whether I can get a good job, whether your grandchildren aren’t going to be able to afford college … we’re fighting for you, and you have the opportunity to fight for yourself.”
The party is also hoping to recruit volunteers and candidates ahead of next year’s election. There are 11 Democratic members in the state Legislature, which is overwhelmingly GOP and holds a supermajority in both chambers. After years as a blue state, Republican voter registration is growing in the Trump-friendly state, and Democratic registrations now account for just 28% of West Virginia registered voters.
In the 2024 election, 50 House of Delegate and Senate races — almost all with Republican candidates — were uncontested.
“We have done a lot with a little. We just need more,” Hornbuckle said. “We have been able to effectively slow down some things, and every once in a while stop that legislation, but we do desperately need more numbers.”
About 50 people attended the Huntington stop of the House Democrat’s “Kitchen Table Tour” on Sept. 11, 2025. (Photo by Amelia Ferrell Knisely/West Virginia Watch)
Education a big concern in Huntington
WOWK news anchor Amanda Barren moderated the event, and it kicked off with a retired teacher immediately asking about the impact of the state’s school voucher program, The Hope Scholarship, on public education. The nearly $100 million program, established in 2021, gives families roughly $5,200 per student in taxpayer money to use for private schools, homeschooling and more.
“Some people are just not going to turn that down, and they don’t understand the consequences of that,” Hornbuckle said.
Cabell County Schools, which contains Huntington, has said students using the Hope Scholarship contributed to a $7.1 million funding decrease this year. Population decline was also a factor.
Hornbuckle said he plans to introduce legislation next year that would require families using the Hope Scholarship to pay their public school if their child is going to participate in athletics or arts programs.
“Since you pulled that money out, you’re not paying for the services right now,” he said.
Pushkin emphasized there are limited guardrails on the program, and millions of dollars from the of Hope Scholarships were used at out-of-state schools and to purchase iPads, dance studio fees and more.
House Democrats proposed a bill banning the use of Hope Scholarship funds at out-of-state schools, but the measure wasn’t taken up for consideration this legislative session.
With more families choosing homeschooling, a woman in the audience said she worried about children who were being homeschooled without oversight. “We don’t know if these kids are being put in a bad situation,” she said.
Garcia responded that the Legislature still needs to work on adding guardrails to the state’s limited homeschool regulations, noting the 2018 death of 8-year-old Raylee Browning who was being homeschooled after teachers reported potential child abuse. Three adults are in prison for her death.
In 2024, a Boone County girl died from apparent starvation while being homeschooled.
No laws have been changed to tighten homeschool laws in cases of suspected child abuse despite attempts from House Democrats.
“It’s the simplest way to have a narrow exception, and we haven’t been able to pass that. That is crazy,” Garcia said. “That is one of the things that we’re fighting right now — to have more accountability for those kids, especially those who are in that vulnerable state.”
Other attendees raised questions about affordable housing, and one woman emotionally shared the challenge making ends meet while paying a mortgage. She worried about others who can’t find a safe and affordable place to live with children despite working.
“I know how close I am to poverty that I am, and I’m a nurse … I don’t know how [families] make it,” she said. “If you’re down, you cannot get up.”
There were also concerns about the state’s limited public transportation and massive shortage of child care spots.
Democratic lawmakers took notes on people’s concerns, saying they’d like to learn more and explore potential future measures — especially bipartisan legislation — to address problems.
“Stay in communication, call us, email us … so that way we can strategize when we need to strategize,” Lewis said. “Ultimately, don’t be discouraged. Don’t be downtrodden. The power is with us.”
The dates for the rest of the tour are:
Visit the House Democrat’s Facebook page for information on specific events.