Far exceeds requirement to qualify for public financing
Public response to WV Supreme Court Justice candidate Bill Wooton’s campaign to qualify for public financing has been “overwhelmingly positive,” a¬ccording to campaign treasurer Chuck Smith.
“We needed at least $35,000 from 500 contributors all over the state to qualify for public financing,” Smith stated. “We easily hit the top of the qualifying amount, $50,000, from more than 800 contributors, and we did it in a few weeks’ time. That’s a heartening display of confidence in Wooton and what he stands for.”
All contributors to the qualifying campaign for public funding must be registered West Virginia voters, who each can contribute no more $100. A minimum of ten percent of the total number of qualifying contributions must be received from each of the state’s three congressional districts.
Wooton now is eligible for $500,000 in public campaign financing. His name will appear on the May 2 ballot in the non-partisan race for one seat on the State Supreme Court.
“I’m extremely pleased and honored by this outpouring of public support,” Wooton said. “Public financing of judicial campaigns is good for our system of justice. I believe the people of West Virginia want an election that truly reflects the will of our people for the public good. Public financing is important, and I’m glad that I will have this honest backing from West Virginians.”
Wooton served for ten years as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and as the House of Delegates Majority Leader in the West Virginia Legislature.
He is a retired colonel of the WV Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve.