Wyatt Lilly

Wyatt Lilly earned a high school diploma from Princeton High School, a bachelor's degree from Davidson College in 1994, and a graduate degree from West Virginia University in 2010. His career experience includes working as a business owner.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Mercer County WV native and business owner. I started my business, Cheap Thrills Records, back in 1995 and it is still going strong today. My wife is a public school teacher at Bluefield High School.

Running for office was not at all on my radar, but folks asked me to run, and I realized I was tired of not having good candidates to support. I have also been extremely frustrated with WV state government lately, so I decided to run.

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?

In my district, there are many citizens that lack clean, drinkable water. In the USA in 2026, everyone deserves clean water. If there is anything worth paying for with tax revenue, it is clean water. We know how to solve this problem, the problem is that there just has not been the political will to do it.I support WV Public Schools, which have been endangered lately by our legislature and governor, primarily by the Hope voucher program. This program, which began 5 years ago at a cost of $20 million, has ballooned to $275 million in 2026. This is money that should be going to public schools. Instead, the money is going to private schools and home shooled students. The Hope program was advertised as a "school choice" issue, and of course I believe in school choice, but I also believe it is up to the parents to pay for their choice if they choose not to send their children to public schools.I strongly oppose to the proposed sale of Welch Community Hospital. Right now, the hospital is state owned and state run, and it gets very high marks in patient satisfaction. It does not lose money, so it is not costing the state, and it benefits the entire county. If the hospital is sold, the new owners would have no accountability to the people of McDowell County and they could diminish the hospital, cut staff, cut salaries, cut services, and eventually close it. The lack of access to health care and loss of jobs would be devastating for the county.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education, water infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, health care, and the minimum wage, which is far too low.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

United Mine Workers of America

WV AFL-CIO

IBEW - International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

WV Building and Construction Trades