MORGANTOWN – Former Delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer aims to return to Charleston to serve in the House once again.
Fleischauer, a Democrat, announced her 2024 campaign to a room full of supporters Tuesday evening at Kegler’s.
“I want to return to Charleston to get things done,” she said. “I know how to get things done, I got things done.”
Fleischauer served 26 years in the House, first elected in 1994. She lost in 2004 but was elected again in 2006. In 2022 she made an unsuccessful bid for state Senate.
New single-member House districts took effect for the 2022 election, and Fleischauer is seeking the 82nd District seat held by Republican Delegate Debbie Warner, who is not seeking reelection.
Fleischauer said Tuesday her two mottoes are “Fighting for Fairness” and “Getting Things Done.”
One of her early accomplishments, she said, was passage of an equal pay bill in 1998. “I think it’s really important that I can be a voice for women.” Only 14 of the state’s 134 legislators are women, she said. “I think women bring something critical to the table.”
Over the years, she’s passed bills concerning sexual assault nurse examiners and domestic violence issues and has fought for veterans and against human trafficking. “I stand up for women’s rights to make their own decisions, including about reproductive healthcare.”
Two of her proudest accomplishments, she said, are the bill to limit copays for insulin and the bill to mandate insurance coverage for autism therapy.
After Fleischauer concluded, former Delegate Michael Angelucci, D-Marion, took the mic to offer some praise for Fleischauer. He recalled an evening at their hotel lobby in Charleston, when she sent him up to her hotel room with her key card to get some bottles of water while Fleischauer talked to some WVU students.
Angelucci said he saw inside her room copies of bills spread across two double beds, all annotated in red. “She literally took her time going through every single bill … studying them, understanding them, reading them. … This is a woman who truly cares.”
The 2024 primary election is May 14 and the general election is Nov. 5.
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
