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Riley Keaton

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Riley Keaton
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
In office
December 1, 2020 – October 12, 2023
Preceded byRick Atkinson
Succeeded byErica Moore
Constituency11th district (2020–2022)
15th district (2022–2023)
Personal details
Born
Nicholas Riley Keaton

(1997-08-19) August 19, 1997 (age 27)
Spencer, West Virginia
Political partyRepublican
EducationRoane County High School

Nicholas Riley Keaton (born August 9, 1997) is an American politician who served as a Delegate to the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2020 to 2023. Keaton is a Republican.

Early life, education, and career

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Keaton was born in Spencer, West Virginia, to Tony and Tracey Keaton. He studied for his Bachelor of Economics degree at West Virginia University. As a teenager, Keaton was politically active. Before assuming office, Keaton was employed as the president of a limited liability company.[1][2]

Elections

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2016

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In his first primary, Keaton narrowly lost to incumbent Rick Atkinson in a three-way race, receiving 37.36% of the vote and missing the nomination by only 28 votes.[3]

2020

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In the 2020 primary, Keaton defeated Atkinson with 52.01% of the vote to win the nomination.[4]

In the general election, Keaton defeated Democrat Mark Pauley with 66.46% of the vote.[5]

2022

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In 2022, Keaton's district changed following the states redistricting. He was once again up against Rick Atkinson in the primary. On May 10, 2022, he went on to win the primary with 56% of the vote to Atkinson's 44%.[6]

In the general election, Keaton defeated Democrat Chuck Conner with 30.1% of the vote.

Tenure

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Committee assignments

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  • Banking and Insurance[7]
  • Judiciary
  • Small Business and Economic Development
  • Technology & Infrastructure

Keaton is an assistant majority whip in the House of Delegates.[1]

Keaton has an "A" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund[8] and a 100% rating from the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, a regional gun rights organization.[1]

DC statehood

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With many of his fellow Delegates, Keaton signed onto a resolution requesting West Virginia Senators and Congresspeople to oppose bills that would allow statehood for the District of Columbia.[9]

Education

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Keaton opposed Senate Bill 680, a bill that would make it harder for school staff to be given raises, but the bill passed the House of Delegates despite some Republican opposition.[10]

Freedom of speech

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Keaton was the lead sponsor of House Bill 2595, a bill that would prohibit so-called "divisive concepts" from being taught in West Virginia schools or promoted in other state-funded agencies. It targeted criticisms of American society, eliminating language that would refer to the US as a "fundamentally racist or sexist" country.[7][11][12][13]

Worker's rights

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Keaton voted for SB 11, a bill that would make it more difficult for employees to strike.[14][15][1]

Resignation

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On October 12, 2023, Keaton formally resigned from his position in the West Virginia House of Delegates, stating on his Facebook that he has accepted a legislative role with the Jim Justice Administration’s Department of Human Services.[16]

Personal life

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Keaton is a Catholic.[2] On October 8, 2022, Keaton married Sadie Shields at the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Riley Keaton's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "West Virginia Delegate Biography: Delegate Keaton". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  3. ^ "2016 Primary Election: House of Delegates 11th District". West Virginia Board of Elections. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  4. ^ "2020 Primary Election: House of Delegates 11th District". West Virginia Board of Elections. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  5. ^ "2020 General Election: House of Delegates 11th District". West Virginia Board of Elections. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "MetroNews Election Results -- Powered by Citynet". electionresults.wvmetronews.com. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Member Profiles: Delegate Keaton". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "NRA-PVF | Grades | West Virginia". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 7, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "WV GOP Letter (2021)" (PDF). Students for DC Statehood. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  10. ^ Quinn, Ryan (April 6, 2021). "WV Legislature sends governor bill that could eliminate school workers' raises". West Virginia Gazette-Mail. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Folley, Aris (February 22, 2021). "West Virginia GOP introduces bill seeking to prohibit 'divisive acts' in schools, workforce". The Hill. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  12. ^ Myer, Christina. "Legislating ego protection". Parkersburg News and Sentinel. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Dorman, Sam (February 24, 2021). "West Virginia bill would ban agencies from touting 'divisive' concepts, like US is 'fundamentally racist'". Fox News. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  14. ^ Adams, Steven Allen. "W.Va. Senate sends message: Public worker strikes illegal". The Times Leader. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  15. ^ "SB 11 Voting Record". Vote Smart. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  16. ^ "Riley Kenton's Facebook Post With Resignation Letter". www.facebook.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  17. ^ "Today, I asked Sadie Rose to marry me. I couldn't be happier". Twitter. Retrieved May 11, 2022.