Mira Tanner-Hughes

Mira Tanner-Hughes earned a high school diploma from Buckhannon-Upshur High School. She attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and Southern New Hampshire University. Her career experience includes working in customer service.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm just a community volunteer who is tired of seeing the suffering of my neighbors be ignored by those in power. West Virginians need reliable access to food and healthcare, clean water, a minimum wage we can live on, and affordable shelters without corporate landlords.

I'm a proud regular volunteer and board member for the Appalachian Mutual Aid Collective, consistently helping make and deliver meals for our Free Meals Appalachia program. If you or your family benefit from our free food, you've probably seen me on the other side of your door.

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?

Strong labor unions would give power back to the workers that right-to-work laws have stripped away from us. I support allowing union dues to be deducted from state and federal taxes, stronger strike protections, and I want to make it easier for all workers to unionize.As we are a labor and agriculture-heavy state--there's no reason why our people should have to worry about whether or not they're going to have food to last between their paychecks. I want to end food insecurity via the creation of small, government-owned grocery stores in the style of military-run commissaries. They would allow us to get our state dollars back in the form of food stamps, and they would force private corporations into price competition, which benefit all buyers.I want to end housing insecurity. Every country needs a well-staffed shelter, with coordinators trained in handling domestic violence. Every West Virginian deserves the chance to own a home and raise a family, and by taxing corporate landlords out of our state, we can give housing back to our people.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Advocacy for the unhoused and for more strict animal abuse punishments have been the policies I have been the most publicly outspoken about, primarily due to my volunteer work.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My favorite historical figure is Dorothea Dix, champion of deinstitutionalization, advocate for compassionate and humane standards for mental health care.

The living person I look up to is my childhood neighbor Ann, who helped me feel connected to community in uncertain childhood circumstances, who fueled my love of animals with her diligence in caring for the strays dumped in French Creek, inspiring my own work with cat fostering.

I also look up to Heather, whose tireless work to ensure everyone in our community feels cared for inspires me to consistently strive to be kinder and more compassionate to everyone around me.

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

Honesty, integrity, and a willingness to be transparent about what government is doing.

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

The job of elected officials is to serve those who elected them--that's what our current representatives are doing, serving the corporations that got them elected.

What legacy would you like to leave?

The most important legacy for me is one of care, community support, and love.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Wal-Mart was my first job. Between Buckhannon and Weston, I worked for the company for around 10 years, and was never made any better off for it.

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

I've struggled with the same things every regular person has--am I going to have enough money to pay my bills and buy food this week? More often than not, something would have to get put on a credit card because the answer was no, not comfortably. No one deserves to live that way. There is NO such thing as "unskilled labor." If you provide a service, you deserve fair compensation for it.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

State house of delegates and senate need to focus on the betterment of West Virginians. We don't need talking point distractions--our people need to be able to afford to live, they need clean water, they need shelter, and food. Our current representatives are failing us, because they don't care about us, they only care about their corporate donors.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

A house of delegates with enough of a majority can override gubernatorial vetoes, meaning we could override any data center support Morrisey attempts to push onto our citizens.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

American Humanist Association, AFL-CIO, WV Can't Wait, American Federation of Teachers (Education WV,) UMWA, Planned Parenthood, Communications Workers of America

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

It would have been 9/11. I was in 4th grade, in the middle of math class. When Ms. Hall turned on the TV and we watched the towers fall on replay, I didn't understand what any of it meant, but I'd never seen anyone as horrified as her in that moment, and that was chilling.