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Capito knows West Virginia and how to move it forward

October 25, 2020

 

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito has been doing the people’s work of West Virginia for about 20 years inside the Washington, D.C., Beltway.

She’s made a positive difference, first as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and now as a senator for the past six years.

As she seeks her second term in the Senate, West Virginians would be wise to send her back to Washington, and here’s why:

— First in the House and then in the Senate, Capito has shown the ability to get things done. During her career, she has risen first in the House’s Republican leadership and now in the Senate’s, but she also is considered one of the most bipartisan senators there is.

In a study put out by The Lugar Center, named after the late Sen. Richard Lugar and “dedicated to proposing solutions to global problems that will define the 21st Century”, Capito earns high marks.

Out of 100 senators, Capito rated the seventh best in terms of her ability to work with both parties to move important legislation forward.

If the White House, Senate or both flip to Democratic control, Capito’s ability to work across the aisle would serve West Virginia well. If the Senate stays in Republican control, she will continue to climb in key leadership positions.

— While her bipartisanship earns her high marks, Capito remains in tune to the people of West Virginia and doesn’t hesitate to go to bat for her Mountain State.

She has led efforts to provide more federal funding as West Virginia works to offset its broadband deficiencies, and she has championed the cause of battling drug addiction.

With an original focus on opioid addiction and now evolving into a needed two-pronged effort that also includes meth, federal, state and local officials continue to work to find the proper balance of law enforcement, treatment and education.

Capito has done well in making sure funding is available for all three elements and has pledged to continue to do so.

As for broadband, she has helped federal officials see the light and better understand the state’s unique and challenging topography, explaining the need for additional funding to advance broadband into more of the state’s most rural areas.

— Capito was already a shining star for West Virginia prior to COVID-19, but her performance as a senator during the pandemic has once again proven her ability to understand complex issues and work towards solutions.

She has played key roles in the development of past pandemic stimulus packages and understands the need for more assistance. But she also understands that the pandemic can’t be used as a reason to simply throw money at pet projects.

She is hopeful a plan that provides more payroll protection loans, unemployment assistance and money for COVID-19 protection in schools, contact tracing and vaccine implementation is forthcoming.

Capito has a keen understanding of the state’s, nation’s and world’s economy and how they intertwine. She has been effective in advancing Mountain State causes on this front.

— As the state’s first elected female U.S. senator, Capito has taken to her trailblazer role and used it inspire others.

Her Girls Rise Up program, which she instituted in 2015, has worked with hundreds of fifth-grade girls across the state, providing additional instruction in STEM studies while stressing the importance of physical education and self-confidence.

It is a worthwhile program and one that was very much needed in West Virginia. Capito deserves high praise for her commitment to making the future brighter for West Virginia’s youth.

Capito’s experience, leadership and ability to deliver positive results for West Virginians make it clear that she deserves to be re-elected.

We are confident she will continue to deliver for the Mountain State while moving the nation forward with her bipartisanship efforts.

WV News unanimously endorses U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito for re-election.