By: Anthony Damcott

Buckhannon native and Wesleyan alum Erika Kolenich is a personal injury lawyer who runs her own law firm in Buckhannon.  However, in 2020, she saw herself running as the libertarian candidate for governor of West Virginia.  Although running for something as big as governor was a new experience for her, she had experience in helping with campaigns, as her husband Karl ran for West Virginia Attorney General in 2016.  However, running for governor in 2020 was not something she imagined.

“I was asked, and so I considered it,” said Erika, whose daughter, Iris, is a junior lacrosse player at Wesleyan.  “I just felt like it was a way that I could really make a significant difference without necessarily winning the election, which isn’t a position that you’re in that often.”  After deliberating, and some consulting with David Moran, the libertarian candidate for governor of West Virginia in 2012 and 2016, she decided to run, with support from Karl and Iris.

In a world that is politically dominated by Democrats and Republicans, running for governor as a Libertarian was tough.  However, on election night in 2020, Kolenich received 22,527 votes, equivalent to 2.87% of the overall vote.  Her campaign broke the record for most votes for a libertarian candidate in West Virginia.  This left Kolenich hopeful for the future of the Libertarian party, the fastest growing third-party in America.

“If nothing else, when I’m out there and people are listening to what I have to say, they are at least more willing to consider a third-party candidate in the future,” she said.  “It does give me a lot of hope, it does give me a lot of confidence.”

Kolenich also says the support she received from Karl and Iris really helped her throughout her campaign.  From folding shirts to loading banners into cars to keeping her grounded in who she was, they were there for her when she needed help managing her campaign.

“It helps.  I’m not sure that you can do this with folks at home who are not on board with what you were doing, because it’s so taxing.” She said.

Immediately following election night, one burning question among Buckhannon residents and Wesleyan students arose: Would there be a 2024 run from Erika Kolenich?

“I have not ruled anything out.  I will do whatever I can to help the party.”