CHARLESTON, W.Va. – On a beach vacation in South Carolina with his family, Jay Marcum was awaiting a call from the governor of West Virginia.
He was a finalist for the vacant seat of a state legislator who resigned after being charged with illegally entering the U.S.
Capitol in the Jan. 6 riot. Instead, state Republican leaders ordered a redo on candidate applications and insisted Marcum return home for an in-person interview. “I don’t really understand why we can’t do a Zoom,” he told them.
Nevertheless, the 51-year-old small-business owner packed up his disappointed children and left Myrtle Beach at 6 a.m. for the nine-hour trip home.