Joe Funkhouser

Joe Funkhouser earned a high school diploma from Jefferson High School, a bachelor's degree from Shepherd University in 2006, and a law degree from the West Virginia University College of Law in 2010. His career experience includes working as an attorney.[2]

Funkhouser has been affiliated with the Jefferson County Farm Bureau and the Bridge Community Church. He has served on the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board, the Charles Town Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Board, and the Charles Town Racetrack Chaplaincy Board.[2]

Joe Funkhouser has not yet completed [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Send a message to Joe Funkhouser asking him to fill out the survey.

If you are Joe Funkhouser, click here to fill out [the profile publisher]'s 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out the candidate survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete [the profile publisher]'s Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's [the profile publisher] profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 32,000 candidates have taken [the profile publisher]'s candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Joe Funkhouser to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing joe@joeforjefferson.com.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a lifelong resident of Jefferson County who grew up on a farm, graduated Jefferson High School when we were a one high school county, graduated Shepherd University with a degree in Political Science and History, served on the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board through my term limits for 8 years, and graduated West Virginia University College of Law thereafter. I am an commercial and business civil litigation attorney.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I seek to make West Virginia a more wonderful place to live, work, raise a family, and retire.I am a champion of Jefferson County, grounded in my faith and family.I am committed to transparency, accountability, and integrity in every facet of government.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public policy in which I am passionate about are all areas that makes West Virginia a more wonderful place to live, work, raise a family, and retire.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Mere Christianity.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibility for Delegate is to represent the good people of Jefferson County's 98th District in the Legislature. This means representing and fighting for the 98th Districts best interests and values, but also balancing that approach to work with colleagues throughout West Virginia for the best interests of the state.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggled with alcohol when I was younger. Getting convicted for a DUI turned out to be blessing in disguise in my life—it woke me up to the fact that alcohol was my Achilles heel. By the grace of God, I quit drinking five year ago. I’m now focused on healthy living.

Conquering the demons of alcohol in my life has improved my life beyond measure and made me more resilient to other temptations. I now focus on my health, family, community and feel blessed to have learned this lesson in life.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Collaborative.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Economic development will be an ongoing challenge. The best social program is a good job.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, experience certainly helps understanding how the process works.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes. Politics is a team sport, whether you like it or not. You need 51 Delegates, 18 Senators, and usually the Governor to pass a bill, and need to be able to build relationships with colleagues in order to do so.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

No.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have spoken with many residents recently, and there is a common theme that our government is inefficient in many areas; whether it is extremely long permit approvals for basic home improvements at a local level, or cumbersome, burdensome, and/or non-responsive state agency licensure issues, these stories have made me realize we need to optimize government efficiency and improve our current regulatory structures to be more responsive to West Virginia residents.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

The legislature should only grant use of emergency powers for what is required by the West Virginia Constitution. A Governor or other government official should not be able to press an emergency button and alter or abolish constitutional rights that are not contemplated under our Constitution.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

The first bill I will introduce is increasing the homestead exemption to provide property tax relief to seniors and disabled veterans.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I am endorsed by West Virginia Farm Bureau, National Rifle Association, West Virginians for Life, and the West Virginia Automobile Dealers Association for the 2024 general election so far. I was endorsed in the primary by the West Virginia Citizens Defense League and the Contractors Association of West Virginia.

What committees interest you?

The committees of Judiciary, Finance, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Economic Development and Tourism, Rules, and Government Organization interest me.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Increasing transparency, accountability, and integrity in government are the cornerstones of my campaign because I feel that we the people have lost our voice in the decisions made by many of our elected representatives. Transparency, accountability, and integrity are intricately intertwined. More transparency will ensure more accountability. By increasing transparency, citizens will understand more about what is going on in the legislative process and make their elected representatives more accountable for their actions. When politicians are more accountable, integrity will be increased in the legislative process, exposing and minimizing backroom deals, obfuscation, and misinformation.

Funkhouser's campaign website highlighted the following issues:

Education

In recent years, economic success of a locality, state, or country has been tied directly to the quality of education of its youth. Because of this, it is important that West Virginia address the educational needs of its students and their teachers.

My priorities and first bills introduced addressing the educational needs of the Eastern Panhandle are:

1) Authorizing locality pay and a more objective school aid formula based on enrollment in both public and higher education. The Recht decision (1982) that deems paying teachers across the state similar salaries is "thorough and efficient," is no longer effective given adjustments in cost of living factors and extreme growth in the Eastern Panhandle in recent years. For example, the average price for a house in McDowell County is $40,000, while in Jefferson County it is $240,000. I have seen too many good teachers go to Virginia and Maryland because they cannot earn an adequate salary in West Virginia. If a Constitutional amendment is necessary, I will sponsor it.

2) Fully implement the education audit to reduce the education bureaucracy in Charleston and send those resources to the front lines in the schools, while improving efficiency and cutting costs.

3) Repeal Common Core and replace it with curriculum and standards that are age appropriate for children, while still meeting their academic needs for success in the real world.

4) Eliminate burdensome testing requirement, saving over $20 million annually, and allow more flexibility to local school systems to determine their schedules based on instructional minutes, not days.

Tax Reform

Pro-Growth tax reform is necessary for West Virginia's economic development. Making West Virginia's tax code simpler, fairer and flatter is one of my priorities. Specifically, I will introduce legislation to:

1) Lower the gas tax so West Virginians fill up here and pay for our roads instead of Virginia and Maryland; and

2) Eliminate the income tax against social security and other retirement benefits. I know many good people and positive contributors to West Virginia's tax base who have left West Virginia or are planning on leaving West Virginia when they retire and move to states that do not tax their retirement income.

West Virginia cannot continue to deter people from living, working, retiring, and investing in West Virginia.

Increasing Broadband

My strategy to increase high speed broadband has 3 parts:

1) Build a middle mile for providers to subscribe to and increase competition, without any taxpayer expense (SB 315 failed to pass this year, but something similar;

2) tax credits for the home owner, business or utility for building the last mile; and

3) consumer protection by requiring any utility that advertises "high speed broadband" or any variation thereof, to be a minimum of 25 megabytes per second.

The 21st century economy requires no less for West Virginia to be competitive. Google and other tech companies would invest in West Virginia if we had reliable and fast broadband.

Transparency, Accountability, And Integrity

Increasing transparency, accountability, and integrity in government are the cornerstones of my campaign because I feel that we the people have lost our voice in the decisions made by many of our elected representatives. Transparency, accountability, and integrity are intricately intertwined. More transparency will ensure more accountability. By increasing transparency, citizens will understand more about what is going on in the legislative process and make their elected representatives more accountable for their actions. When politicians are more accountable, integrity will be increased in the legislative process, exposing and minimizing backroom deals, obfuscation, and misinformation.

How am I going to accomplish this? The first bill I will introduce will provide a website for each member of the legislature to make them more accountable to their constituents. Each website will have a secure poll on every bill that all constituents or registered voters can weigh in on, in support or opposition. Phone and Email simply do not go far enough in making public officials more accountable. Some flexibility would be needed depending on each official on how this platform operates. This may help forge consensus, as West Virginians will have a reliable poll that will inform where their constituents stand on legislative issues.

The media talks about all these public opinion polls which are completely random. The way a question is asked or phrased can manipulate these polls. Let’s provide a true poll for all West Virginians to make sure that all politicians know the opinions of their constituents, making them accountable to the people who elected them.[8]

—Joe Funkhouser, [9]