CHARLESTON – Kanawha Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey’s re-election campaign brought in more than $150,000 at its kickoff fundraising event.
“I’m proud to serve the people of Kanawha County with integrity and will continue to bring my experience on the bench to apply the rule of law fairly, protect our values and respect law enforcement,” Bailey said at the January 18 event held at the Four Points Sheraton in Charleston. “Public service is in my blood, and I will work every day to uphold my oath to the West Virginia Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.
“I’m not a politician and will never let politics enter the courtroom.”
Bailey
| File photo
About 200 supporters attended the event at which Bailey was endorsed by the South Charleston Professional Firefighters Local 837.
“We know you have a strong passion for the law as well as the citizens of Kanawha County and public safety,” Local 837 President Virgil White said. “When it comes to our judicial system, we need a judge who has experience, knowledge and compassion. [Bailey] has displayed all of these qualities over the years in the courtroom.”
That $150,000 figure dwarfs the numbers of kickoff events for other Kanawha Circuit Court candidates, according to campaign finance reports on file with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office.
An August event at DT Prime for Judge Maryclaire Akers’ campaign pulled in $69,250, and a November event at Tiano O’Dell Law Firm for Judge Carrie Webster’s campaign brought in $57,550. Another November event at Tiano O’Dell for recently appointed Judge Dave Hardy’s campaign netted $30,100.
An October event at Edgewood Country Club for Ashley Deem’s campaign raised $16,500. Deem is Bailey’s opponent in the May 4 non-partisan election for one of eight Kanawha Circuit Court seats.
Deem's campaign reported raising more than $80,000 on campaign filings at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023. That's more than any other judicial candidate challenging an incumbent in the state.
Bailey’s campaign haul at her January event even surpasses those at kickoff events for the two candidates for state Supreme Court. Justice Haley Bunn’s campaign raised $85,250 at a June event at Hale Center, and candidate Charles Trump’s campaign brought in $41,700 at a September event at DT Prime.
During her speech, Bailey highlighted her experience, fidelity to the rule of law and her commitment to serving the people of Kanawha County with honor and integrity.
“Judge Bailey has served with distinction and fidelity to the rule of law,” ret. General Allen Tackett, the former adjutant general for the West Virginia National Guard, said when introducing Bailey. “She’s always been tough on crime and does what justice demands in her courtroom.
“The people of Kanawha County can count on her to keep politics away from the courthouse.”
Bailey was born in Charleston and raised in Belle. She is a 1977 graduate of Hollins College and a 1980 graduate of West Virginia University College of Law and also completed classes at the University of Paris (Sorbonne) and l’institut d’etudes politique de Paris.
She practiced law in Charleston from 1980 to 1993, completing her practice as a partner with the firm of Hamb, Poffenbarger & Bailey. Having worked during 11 legislative sessions for the West Virginia House of Delegates and one session for the West Virginia Senate, in 1993 she became the first full-time lawyer for the West Virginia Senate where she primarily served as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
In 2002, she was appointed to serve on the bench in Kanawha County) and was elected in 2004, 2008 and 2016. She helped establish the Kanawha County Day Report Center and serves on its board, and she has presided over the Kanawha County Adult Drug Court, one of the first to be established in the state, since it opened in 2009.
Bailey has served longer than any other female circuit judge in West Virginia and, in 2022, was the first female judge to serve as President of the West Virginia Judicial Association.