Martin Staunton, a former reporter and anchor at WVNS in Lewisburg, W.V., has announced a run for U.S. Senate.
According to the Register-Herald, Staunton is running for the Senate seat that will be vacated by Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) next year. “I am not a politician,” Staunton said. “I am going to be a statesman. And while there are things about both parties I like, I will not toe any party line. It is about the people, not the political party.”
Staunton, who is diabetic, said his top issue is health care. “In eight months, I nearly died, was released from my (television) contract, and then prevented from working in my profession for a year, and then my wife of 25 years died an uninsured American,” he said.
Staunton, who is running without a political affiliation, is the second candidate to announce a run for Rockefeller’s seat.