Clark Barnes is currently a member of The West Virginia Senate, representing District 15 as a Republican, additionally Senator Barnes serves as the Minority Whip. On November 4, 2008, Barnes was reelected to the Senate’s District 15 winning by a comfortable margin. He is currently launching a Gubernatorial Campaign for the Governorship of West Virginia as a Republican candidate.

Political career

Barnes was elected to the West Virginia State Senate in 2004, defeating then 12-year incumbent Mike Ross in a close race that concluded after two vote recounts. In 2006, the junior Republican was selected to serve as Minority Whip in the senate, a post which he continues to hold. Senator Barnes was reelected for a second term in 2008. There was no controversy in the race as Sen. Barnes defeated the same opponent, Ross, by several thousand votes.[1]

Barnes is currently running for the Republican nomination for Governor of West Virginia, Barnes believes the prospects for success in the state are high, and believes the efforts of blue and white collar workers alike provide West Virginia with a very bright future. “West Virginia has a great future. Our present energy production combined with the prospect of newly discovered natural gas reserves, the work ethic of our people, and the potential for a changing political climate are among the many things which present West Virginians with the prospect of greater opportunity,”

Barnes is currently running for the Republican nomination for Governor of West Virginia against former West Virginia Secretary of State, Betty Ireland

Betty Ireland

Betty Ireland was the 28th Secretary of State of West Virginia from 2005-2009, serving as the first woman elected to the executive branch of West Virginia state government. She was also the first Republican elected to that position since 1972. Ireland did not seek a second term in 2008 due to her...

.

History

The Son of a Baptist minister, Barnes spent his younger years in the Northview section of Clarksburg and is the grandson of Erna and Cora Barnes. His family later moved to Paden City, in the Ohio valley, where he graduated High School. 1973-1976 marked years in which Barnes served with the Army Corps of engineers. His last assignment involved him serving as a Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Non-Commissioned Officer.

Barnes attended Northern Virginia Community College then enrolled at Davis & Elkins College, located In Elkins, WV. Barnes earned AAS in Business Administration from Davis & Elkins. He then earned his BA while attending West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, WV. He then earned his MS from Pensacola Christian College.

He married his wife, Deborah, in 1972, and has four children: Thad, Erick, Elizabeth, and Rachel.