Tristan Leavitt
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Tristan Leavitt (Republican Party) is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 53. He assumed office on December 1, 2024. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Leavitt (Republican Party) ran for election to the West Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 53. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Leavitt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Tristan Leavitt earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 2007. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 2011.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2024
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 53
Tristan Leavitt defeated Chris Smith in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 53 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tristan Leavitt (R)  | 59.9 | 3,875 |
 | Chris Smith (D) | 40.1 | 2,593 | |
| Total votes: 6,468 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 53
Chris Smith advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 53 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Chris Smith | 100.0 | 886 |
| Total votes: 886 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 53
Tristan Leavitt defeated Terry Burns in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 53 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tristan Leavitt | 60.0 | 943 |
| Terry Burns | 40.0 | 628 | |
| Total votes: 1,571 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
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Leavitt received the following endorsements.
- State Del. JB Akers (R)
- West Virginia Manufacturers Association
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tristan Leavitt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Leavitt's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a husband, father, and disciple of Christ. My wife Brittany and I have five children ranging from 1st to 12th grade, most of whom are in Kanawha County Public Schools. We are extremely active in the community and in our local church congregation. Brittany also owns the local small business Nellie's Cookie Jar and works as a victims advocate for the Kanawha County Prosecutor.
Growing up, I learned the value of hard work by helping my dad hang sheetrock for his small business. My mom stayed home to raise the seven children in our family, and money was so tight we couldn’t afford health insurance. Knowing how far a dollar can go, I am passionate about government using our tax dollars wisely.
I've used that passion to focus my legal career on finding and fixing problems in government. I led congressional investigations into ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious, the U.S. Secret Service, and Hillary Clinton’s misuse of a private email server for classified government records. During the Trump Administration I was appointed to help lead two federal agencies, and in 2022 the U.S. Senate confirmed me to the three-person board that decides federal whistleblower appeals. In 2023 I became president of the nonprofit Empower Oversight, where I provide legal representation to whistleblowers from agencies like the IRS, the FBI, and the Secret Service bringing to light waste, and abuse in the federal government.
- Jobs: To improve our local economy and raise the standard of living, we need to bring more jobs to the area. The rising generation shouldn't have to move away from West Virginia after schooling just to have opportunities for good employment.
- Education: Our children deserve better educational outcomes. This will make them more competitive for the workforce and able to obtain better-paying jobs. Improving our education system will also make it easier to attract employers to the area.
- Effective government services: Our hard-earned tax dollars should be used efficiently and effectively, and that means looking more closely at where the state is spending money and where we are failing to provide the services that will actually improve the lives of West Virginians.
I am a firm believer in human dignity, and am thus passionate about all public policies, such as those above, that can improve individual quality of life and enable prosperity. I am also passionate about *how* government operates, including with the right checks and balances, since that is key to whether individuals and businesses are allowed to meet their full potential. Finally, having lost three close family members to suicide and seen many loved ones face addiction, I am passionate about mental health and addiction recovery.
As a Christian, I strive to follow Jesus Christ in all that I do. I also love biographies and often find the lives of others inspiring. One public servant I have long admired is William Wilberforce, a Member of the English Parliament whose evangelical conversion motivated him in a twenty-year campaign that resulted in the abolition of the slave trade in the United Kingdom.
The 1966 film A Man for All Seasons, adapted from the Robert Bolt screenplay.
Integrity, humility, and willingness to work hard and listen to and compromise with others.
Hard work, determination, critical thinking, willingness to listen to others, healthy skepticism. Disagreeing without being disagreeable is also very important to me.
Kindness. Long after we're gone I believe we'll be judged by how we treated others.
The launching of the Gulf War against Saddam Hussein in 1991, when I was 7.
From about age 12 until age 18, I spent summers hanging sheetrock and doing drywall for my dad's small business. When I was old enough to drive I also worked some afternoons after school outside of the wrestling and debate seasons.
The Bible. It teaches me balance and perspective, and helps me feel closer to God.
Citizen legislatures like West Virginia's benefit from legislators with a variety of different perspectives and life experiences. However, I definitely believe my previous government experience would be beneficial to trying to tackle some of the uniquely thorny challenges West Virginia faces right now, such as improving our education system, our foster care system, etc.
Without question. Accomplishing results for your constituents requires building relationships with other legislators to find common ground and build coalitions.
Americans for Prosperity WV
Associated Builders & Contractors of WV
Big I of WV
Committee for Responsible Government
Contractors Association of WV
Gas and Oil Association of WV
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 132
Operators Political Education & Education Committee
WV & Appalachian Laborers District Council
WV Auto Dealers Association
WV Bankers Association
WV Beer Wholesalers PAC
WV Business & Industry Council
WV Building and Construction Trades
WV Chamber
WV Federation of Young Republicans
WV Home Builders Association
WV Hospital PAC
WV Manufacturers Association
WV Optometric Physicians
West Virginians for Life
Government Organization, Judiciary, Education, or any committee contributing to improving West Virginia's economy.
I could not be more passionate about this issue. A bedrock principle of our democratic republic is that government is ultimately accountable to the people, and we elect representatives to help ensure that accountability. Since the legislature approves the expenditure of public funds, it has a fundamental responsibility to conduct oversight to ensure they're used efficiently and effectively. Transparency is essential to true accountability, so the more financial transparency, the better.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of West Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate West Virginia House of Delegates District 53 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 11, 2024
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Chris Pritt (R) |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 53 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
