CHARLESTON, W. Va. — Outside, often shadowy political groups have spent $15 million in West Virginia this year, according to a new report. That's nearly as much as all of the candidates combined.

Julie Archer, a co-coordinator of West Virginia Citizens For Clean Elections who worked on the study, said super PACS and groups not created by the candidates are a crucial tool used by powerful players to protect their interests in the state. And she said it can be dishonest.

"Attacking incumbent judges for being 'soft on crime' - and when you start looking more closely at it, it's really business interests who maybe want to shield themselves from liability,” Archer explained.

She said super PACs and other secretive organizations have become more important in state elections since the 2010 Citizens United verdict. In that decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that some kinds of political spending are constitutionally protected as free speech and cannot be restricted.

Challengers backed by outside money are more than three times more likely to unseat an incumbent, Archer said. And the groups spending the money often use names that are intentionally misleading. For example, the "Mountaineers Always Free PAC" was formed by the Republican Attorneys General Association to defend Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and attack his opponent, Delegate Doug Reynolds.

Archer said super PACS make it possible to target a state office for a comparatively small amount of money.

"Really, special interests and wealthy donors who want to advance their agenda, it's much easier for them to do it at the state and local level,” she said.

And state can only do so much to limit the impact of these donors. Archer said one of the motivations behind the report was to argue for better disclosure rules.

"Not only to highlight the growing role that outside money is playing in our elections, but also the need for more transparency,” she said, "so that voters can be better informed about who's trying to influence their votes."

The full report can be viewed here.




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Nationwide, it is estimated about one-third of Americans either adhere to Christian Nationalist ideals or sympathize with them.

Groups working for social justice in Washington state are organizing to counter what they see as a movement harmful to democracy.

Aaron Scott, author of "Bring Back Your People: Ten Ways Regular Folks Can Put a Dent in White Christian Nationalism," is the keynote speaker at this weekend's Peace and Justice Action Conference in Spokane.

It is estimated 16% of people in Washington support Christian Nationalist ideas and although it is hardly a majority, Scott said the movement should not be disregarded.

"We can't afford to say, 'Well, we're not going to really deal with that stuff, that's a side conversation,'" Scott explained. "Because clearly we are now in a moment where it is not a side conversation. It is the central conversation."

Scott noted white Christian Nationalist groups embed in rural areas, building churches and securing funds to win local elections. Their beliefs often appear as anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ. He pointed out the ideology thrives where voter suppression and disengagement are high and encouraged people to stay engaged in their communities.

Christian Nationalists want the U.S. to be declared a Christian nation, with laws based on their far-right values. Though the ideas can seem threatening, Scott stressed arguing with strangers is usually not an effective way to change someone's mind. Instead, he suggested having direct, thoughtful conversations within trusting relationships, reinforcing their values of honesty and compassion.

"You can do things like point to the way this person lives their lives and the values that you know they hold, and highlight, like, 'This does not seem aligned with this,'" Scott advised.

Scott, who also works with the Episcopal Church, emphasized the core of Christianity runs counter to the ideas of Christian Nationalism. He added many Christian groups recognize the movement provides cover for white supremacy and are concerned about the threat it may pose to their religious communities as well as democracy. Scott acknowledged it takes time and commitment to counter extreme ideologies.


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In a nationwide movement, Latinos are being urged to boycott retail stores tomorrow that have curtailed programs promoting fair hiring practices.

The diversity, equity and inclusion framework has been a cornerstone for many large retailers for several decades but attacks by President Donald Trump and the GOP have led such giants as Walmart, Target, McDonald's and others to scale back their DEI initiatives.

Caroline Tso Chen, associate professor of taxation at San Jose State University, said one person might not be able to make a huge difference but if 20% of people joined "Latino Freeze Day," the effect would be substantial.

"By basically telling those companies, we do not approve of what you are doing and we will take our money and we will spend it elsewhere," Tso Chen explained.

The annual purchasing power of Latinos in the U.S. continues to grow, now topping more than $3 trillion. New Mexico is among the top 10 states with the largest Hispanic/Latino buying power, which has increased due to population growth, labor force participation and educational attainment.

DEI programs have been around since the 1960s and are meant to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups historically underrepresented or subject to discrimination. As an Asian woman, Tso Chen noted she knows what it is like, but added Friday's boycott would need to be just the beginning.

"You can't make this just February 28," Tso Chen stressed. "In order to make any sort-of significant economic impact to any of these retailers, it is going to have to be for an extended period of time."

The Latino Freeze Movement is encouraging supporters to find alternative ways to purchase what they need at other retailers, including local stores, swap meets, farmers markets, secondhand stores or negotiating trades.


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Lessons learned during the COVID pandemic have proven crucial to one organization responding to Hurricane Helene.

Centro Unido - which serves the Spanish-speaking population in McDowell County - stepped up its services during the pandemic to provide testing, vaccine clinics, and easy-to-understand information.

It also offered financial assistance to help western North Carolina families avoid evictions and utility disconnections.

Centro Unido's Interim Executive Director Laura Zapater said they learned a lot during the COVID response that is useful today.

"It was really helpful in the way that we could quickly organize after Hurricane Helene," said Zapater, "because we knew that our community was going to struggle more than other communities to receive the resources and the support needed."

Zapater said people in the community were lined up at their door as soon as Centro Unido had power again after the hurricane.

The group is still helping with hurricane relief, although she notes the change in presidential administrations has put new strains on their work.

Zapater said during COVID, Centro Unido worked with other Latino organizations to share resources and expand their impact. They established relationships and have worked on collaborative grants.

She said that joint work extended to hurricane relief when organizations in areas like Asheville struggled to get supplies.

"The access was harder there," said Zapater. "They couldn't get supplies as soon as us, because McDowell was more accessible. So, we had different vans and volunteers were like, 'Hey, I'll load the van, I'll take it to them.' So, we were kind of like a hub for other organizations more towards the west."

The Kate B. Reynolds Trust has partnered with and given grants to Centro Unido.

Jason Baisden, senior program officer with the trust, said support for organizations like Centro Unido move away from the traditional "top-down" approach to relief.

"Without the input at the local level, the grassroots level, sometimes you get solutions that aren't optimal," said Baisden. "They could be more optimal when they get the input from community, because those folks are the ones living it. They pretty much know what would help solve these issues."