Joshua Nuckolls

Joshua Nuckolls served in the U.S. Air Force. He graduated from Jefferson High School. His career experience includes working as a homemaker.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Joshua Nuckolls. I am a husband, father, and proud resident of West Virginia. I chose to run for office after seeing the steady decline of our wonderful state. We are being failed by our legislature. West Virginia ranks the in the bottom of so many national categories and that has to change. We need clean drinking water, aid for the poor, better education, more sensible drug policies, and a commitment to our seniors. Currently, none of this is being addressed by our legislature. The reproductive rights of women have taken many steps backwards in our state. It's time to make sure that we reinstate women's reproductive rights and defend them from attack. It's time to repeal right to work and give our workers more rights to organize. We need to move into the 21st century and legalize cannabis and psilocybin and quit locking people up for victimless crimes. End cash bail that does nothing but feed our prison for profit system. Invest in rehabilitation instead of incarceration. End qualified immunity for police. Address the root causes of crime in drug use in our state by ending poverty and discrimination. Invest in green energy. Our coal will not last forever and is destroying our ecosystem and waterways. Investing in green energy can help clean up our state and provide good paying jobs. Break up the energy monopolies in West Virginia. Too many of our citizens can hardly afford their electric bills and have no options. We can better.

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?

No cuts to social programs. As John F. Kennedy said, "A rising tide lifts all boats". We are only as good as we treat our neighbors. Lifting West Virginians out of poverty and ensuring a good quality of life benefits everyone. Lifting our citizens out of poverty helps to address issues such as crime and drug use. It's time to have a healthy sense of community again and care about the plight of our people. Shielding them from the scorched earth policies of our current federal government should be a priority. We need to eliminate right to work and encourage workers to organize so that we can have a robust, healthy workforce.Environmental justice. West Virginia coal will not last forever. It's poisoning our people, our land, and our waterways. We live in a state to beautiful to allow it to be exploited by those seeking nothing but profit. Investing in a Green New Deal for West Virginia can help clean up our state and create thousands of good paying jobs for hard working people. Companies who destroy the environment should be held responsible for the damage they cause and the people they hurt.Social Justice. West Virginia needs to end discrimination in all of it's ugly forms. Part of this comes in education reform by having our schools promote respect, acceptance, and diversity. Reform our criminal justice system by ending cash bail and focus on rehabilitative programs instead of incarceration. End qualified immunity for the police. Legalize drugs like cannabis and psilocybin instead of incarcerating users. End state funding of police departments which fail to address racial bias.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Social and Economic justice, police reform, programs and assistance to our poor, disabled, elderly or veterans.

Workplace reform, living wages, ending right to work, promote organizing and unions.

Environmental reform. Start cleaning up our state and move into the future with a Green New deal for our citizens.

Breaking up big energy companies who are making basic utilities like electricity unaffordable.

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

I would recommend the film "The Human Condition" by director Masaki Kobayashi. It's the most powerful depiction of citizens in our day and age. It's a humanist saga about man's relationship to the world around him. It follows the central character as he goes from a labor camp supervisor, to an imperial army soldier, to a Soviet POW. It shows the struggle of the central character as he tries to rise above a corrupt system, even when his morals impede, rather than help him.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, empathy, service, sense of purpose, and duty to the people.

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

To put their state and the people who live therein first and foremost.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A legacy of love, empathy, and service to others.

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

A cooperative. Our representatives could be of different political persuasions, but should always cooperate to put West Virginians of all walks of life at the forefront.

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

To try and pull West Virginia and it's people out of it's "bottoming out". At last check, we were 48th in economy, 48th in education, 48th in healthcare, 39th in natural environment and dead last in infrastructure. There needs to be a cooperative effort to combat these rankings and move West Virginia forward into the future.

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

Not at all. I think the average person, with all of their daily struggles, is more in touch with the needs of everyday West Virginians than any career politician.

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

Absolutely. We, as peoples and neighbors, should be setting an example of cooperation.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

No. I want to be someone I would model myself after.

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

Not at the current time.

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 read and hear them everyday, whether it is from the single mother who can't afford her utilities to seniors who are afraid of losing what they worked for their whole life to achieve. Our state is full of one heartbreaking story after another. I can't understand why our legislators don't find it as heartbreaking as I do.

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

There should always be checks and balances on any emergency powers, as well as an expiration date.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

A Responsible Utilities Act that would help clean up our waterways and ecosystems, as well as see to it that our utilities our serving West Virginians rather than making a profit off of their blood, sweat, and tears.

What committees interest you?

Energy and Public Works, Health and Human Resources

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The government should be as transparent as freshly cleaned glass on all fronts.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

It would be a much needed improvement and help West Virginia voices be heard.