This article is part of a series created to help voters become familiar with the candidates running for the West Virginia House of Delegates. Each candidate was asked the same six questions, and we are sharing their responses exactly as they were given to us. This series aims to provide a clear and direct look into each candidate’s views on issues that matter to the people of West Virginia.

This article’s focus is on Tristan Leavitt, the Republican Party candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 53. Let’s dive into his responses to learn more about his priorities for the state.

1. What is your position on religious freedom, and how does your faith and role as delegate work together?

“My faith in God, and my understanding that all men and women are made in His image, is central to my worldview and to everything that I do. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to worship in the way they believe. This issue is so important to me that two of my earliest jobs were working as a congressional aide on religious freedom issues and then doing legal work for a nonprofit in Brussels, Belgium focused on international religious freedom. My belief in the importance of human dignity stems from my faith and would inform all the choices I would make as a Delegate.”

2. Some believe public schools should be the only option for parents. What is your stance on a parent’s right to choose the best education for their child?

“I am a firm believer in families being able to choose the educational options that best fit their values and meet their child's individual needs. Some of my closest friends homeschool or enroll their children in faith-based schools. I am on the board of one of the first microschools in West Virginia, and one of our five children uses the Hope Scholarship to attend a school with services specifically geared to her dyslexia.

Our family's experience with the Hope Scholarship was highlighted this year in a video from Americans for Prosperity, which you can find on the internet by searching "West Virginia Hope Scholarship means education freedom for Mountain State families."

3. The HOPE Scholarship allows parents to align their child’s education with their values. With the program set to expand to all K-12 students in two years, what actions would you take to support its growth?

“The Hope Scholarship provides an amazing opportunity for families, but has to be administered efficiently and effectively to support growth. For example, many private schools depend entirely on receiving Hope Scholarship funds smoothly and on time in order to operate, yet experienced significant difficulty with this in the first two years of the program's operation. I'm committed to working with the Treasurer's Office to ensure those problems are fixed.”

4. Do you have any K-12 children or grandchildren in school? If so, did they attend public or private school, or homeschool in West Virginia?

“All five of our children fall in the K-12 range. One of them uses the Hope Scholarship to attend a private school, and the other four attend public schools.”

5. Please describe your professional background and why it equips you to lead West Virginia effectively.

“I am an attorney, and my entire legal career has been dedicated to finding and fixing problems in government. I was also appointed during the Trump Administration to lead two federal agencies. Because of that, I understand how bureaucracy works, and what it takes to cut through bureaucracy to deliver results.”

6. What does conservatism mean to you, and how would you differentiate it from liberal values on the three most pressing challenges facing our state?

“My conservative cultural, economic, and political values mostly boil down to the same basis: We are all God's children, our actions have consequences, and applying natural law is the key to improving individual quality of life and enabling prosperity.

 (1) West Virginia's struggling economy is probably the biggest challenge facing our state, and I believe we promote individual dignity through policies that enable self-reliance rather than encouraging government dependence. Thus, I will support policies that make West Virginia a better place to start or locate a business, attract jobs, and ensure necessary training is available for individuals seeking or improving their employment.

(2) It's difficult to attract individuals to our state when our education outcomes are among the worst in the nation. Rather than simply throwing more money at our public schools, I believe our tax dollars can best be conserved by focusing on teacher performance and student outcomes. Rather than viewing students as the responsibility of the state, I believe empowering parents and providing educational freedom will help improve our school system and also attract more people to our state in its own right.

(3) So many of the challenges facing our state are a function of families deteriorating, which contributes to a spiral of addiction, crime, and hopelessness for the next generation. Rather than encouraging or enabling this spiral, I will promote policies that strengthen the social fabric of our communities by supporting families and putting mothers and fathers in a position to succeed.”