HUNTINGTON – A Cabell County lawmaker says he won’t seek re-election for the House of Delegates, and he says he might consider a run for state Attorney General.
Doug Reynolds issued a press release Oct. 26 saying he has opted to not seek another two-year term in the House.
“It’s the end of October, and I thought I should make the announcement so others who might want to run for the House can get started on their campaigns,” the Democrat said Monday. “As for Attorney General, it’s something I have thought about. But that’s something I’ll have to discuss with my wife and family first.”
Reynolds is a Huntington attorney who also is president of Energy Services of America, a pipeline construction company. In 2007, he created HD Media Company, which bought The Herald-Dispatch newspaper in Huntington from Champion Industries, a company owned by Huntington businessman Marshall Reynolds, who is Doug Reynolds’ father.
For now, Reynolds said he is ready to get started on his final legislative session even though he “will be a little nostalgic about it.”
“We have a lot more important thing to do,” he said. “There is the tax reform we’ve worked on all summer, and I hope we can do something on that even with the budget issues the state is facing. We need to make the tax structure fair for everyone.
“Also, I hope we’ll be taking a look at community schools, especially in light of the problems in Fayette County. I went down there and met with some people last week. I have proposed a bill for a five-year moratorium on closing schools so we can consider what the effect is because I don’t think consolidated schools are delivering on the promises.”
If he opts to run for Attorney General, Reynolds would be the third Democrat to join the race to face incumbent Republican Patrick Morrisey. Charleston attorneys Mark Hunt and David Higgins already have declared their candidacies.
