Paige Reiring

Paige Reiring earned a bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University in 2016.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Goshen, OH and was the only child of a single teen mother. We spent much of my childhood just barely staying afloat and debating which bills we should forego in favor of others. While we were lucky to have a community of friends and family to support us, I saw firsthand the struggles families face to access adequate housing, care and education, and the impact of rising costs on Americans.

In 2016, I graduated from the Ohio State University with a Bachelor's in English, having pivoted after a year of International Studies. I have spent the bulk of my life, like many Americans, working. I’ve been a barista, a gas station attendant, a research writer, a customer incidents processor – all kinds of jobs. And they are part of why I’m running today – because I saw how, again and again, the labor of the working class was constantly extracted, exploited and abused for the profit of big business without any consequence.

After a bad breakup, I moved to West Virginia, where I fell in love with the state fast and hard. The hills were filled with my great grandparents' accent, and better yet, I found their Appalachian hospitality alive and well among the people. I've since gotten deeply involved in community projects, helping wherever I can: from the community gardens of Morgantown to the Helene-soaked basements of McDowell County. And I can honestly say coming to wild and wonderful West Virginia was the best choice I ever made.

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?

There is no data center that needs to be built in West Virginia. They offer few jobs for little benefit to the world, all the while destroying the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land that grows our food.

We should instate a moratorium on them until we know exactly what they’re going to be used for. Even then, they cannot be built without the full support of the people who live there, who will be affected by them, who will have to live near them and feel the full effects of these data centers for as long as they live.

Our state has always been treated as an extraction state, with profits coming over people every time, and these data centers are just a new spin on the old routine. It’s time to stop this cycle.I am committed to a people-powered, people-funded movement, which means I won't accept any money from corporate donors or PACs. If I am to represent the people, I have to be funded by the people – not corrupt corporations.

I will never trade or hold stocks that would influence me to vote against the people’s interests for my own gain. I will fight to overturn Citizens United, similar to what’s being done in Hawaii. I would also support a lifetime lobbying ban for government employees.I believe that you don't need to live in a panopticon, which is why I'm fighting the installation of Flock cameras throughout Monongalia County. Big Brother-style surveillance deserves no space in our society, and I'm committed to calling out these devices as they're installed; educating people on the technology and capabilities of these devices; and working towards removing this technology from our communities altogether.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Utility rates are a big one. I've been working with the West Virginia Utility Impact Project to collect testimonies from over 10,000 people across West Virginia regarding the impact of rising utility rates on their lives. In 10 years, electric rates have increase 50%, and they're only going higher as data centers suck up more from our power grids. AEP, Hope Gas and FirstEnergy can no longer hold us hostage. It’s time to take the power away from these companies and put it in the hands of public organizations that are operated by people who actually live here and are democratically elected.