Rick Hillenbrand

“Truth, Justice and the American Way”… West Virginia style.  You don’t have to look very hard to see what happens when we become politically complacent, just turn on the news. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are experiencing the consequences of failed leadership, and now we are learning first-hand just how connected the world is today.  Local decisions affect world events, and world events have local impact. Do you like what you see happening elsewhere, do you want to protect our way of life, and maybe make it better? I do.

As a retired submarine qualified, US Navy Engineering Duty Officer and a lifelong Scout and Scout leader, I am a rule follower—at times my life has depended upon it—and I try to live my life daily by the Scout Oath and Law (TRUSTWORTHY, LOYAL, HELPFUL, etc.). Certainly my Navy career and Scouting experience helped develop my deep sense of civic responsibility, which has motivated this engineer and program manager to “come out of retirement” to serve my community.

When I joined the Navy, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution, and if elected I will take that promise to Charleston. It takes nerves of steel and ice water running through your veins to live on a submarine hundreds of feet below the surface sleeping a few feet away from enough destructive power that can level entire cities and countries. With that experience, I assure you when the lobbyists and special interests try to make me go wobbly on our conservative principles, it won’t work with me.