MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A former member of the federal law enforcement community is making a run for the West Virginia State Senate.
Carly Braun is seeking the Republican nomination in the 13th District in her first run for office. Braun had considered a run for Congress before deciding that she could make a difference in Charleston.
“I’m a conservative, have been my whole life,” said Braun. “My husband and I live in Westover with our 18-month-old, and we want to continue to build our family here, and I want to help bring more opportunities to West Virginia,” she said.
Braun has a law enforcement background. She formerly worked for the FBI but resigned in 2021, due to the requirement for federal employees to receive the COVID vaccination. She mentioned federal mandates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the state’s opioid epidemic as issues that impacted her the most. If elected, Braun believes her background in law enforcement can help get a handle on the state’s drug epidemic.
“It’s something that we really need to focus on in regards to law enforcement,” said Braun on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”
“And making sure that people who are bringing that into our state and selling it, and especially selling it to young people need to be held to account, and that’s something that really needs to be looked at through the legislature,” she said.
As a self-described”lifelong conservative,” Braun states that she is a pro-life candidate that wants to prevent the expansion of controversial subjects in education. She included her opposition to the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools as part of a goal to create a family-friendly environment that encourages residents to grow a family if they so desire.
“I’ve talked to several voters and it really resonates that I want to protect families, I want to encourage people to grow their families and I also want to protect the children in our political climate,” she said.
While Braun will face off against a candidate who is very versed in West Virginia politics, she feels her outsider status, can lead to votes in the polls.
“I’m not a career politician, so I think that we need to have someone who has not been in the establishment before,” said Braun. “And I think I can bring a different way of looking at things, both in our politics and in our culture,” she said.
Early voting for the 2022 Primary Election is underway and will continue until May 7. Primary Election day is May 10.