William Ridenour
2022 - Present
2024
2
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William Ridenour (Republican Party) (also known as Bill) is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 100. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. His term ended on December 1, 2024.
Ridenour (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the West Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 100. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Ridenour completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
William Ridenour was born in Springfield, Ohio. Ridenour's professional experience includes working as a defense intelligence officer in the Defense Intelligence Agency and chief of strategic policy with the Pentagon. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1980 to 2000. Ridenour earned a bachelor's degree from Purdue University in 1980, a graduate degree from the University of Oklahoma in 2000, and a graduate degree from the Marine Corps War College in 2017.[1]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Ridenour was assigned to the following committees:
- House Education Committee
- House Judiciary Committee
- Technology & Infrastructure Committee
- Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Committee
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Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2024
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100
Incumbent William Ridenour defeated Maria Russo in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | William Ridenour (R)  | 53.3 | 4,584 |
 | Maria Russo (D) | 46.7 | 4,011 | |
| Total votes: 8,595 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100
Maria Russo advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Maria Russo | 100.0 | 1,010 |
| Total votes: 1,010 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100
Incumbent William Ridenour advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ridenour | 100.0 | 1,548 |
| Total votes: 1,548 | |||
| = 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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Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ridenour in this election.
2022
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2022
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100
William Ridenour defeated Susan Benzinger in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ridenour (R) | 54.8 | 3,390 |
 | Susan Benzinger (D) | 45.2 | 2,801 | |
| Total votes: 6,191 | |||
| = 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 100
Susan Benzinger advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Susan Benzinger | 100.0 | 802 |
| Total votes: 802 | |||
| = 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 100
William Ridenour defeated Pasha Majdi and Steve Harris in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Ridenour | 36.2 | 606 |
| Pasha Majdi | 32.2 | 539 | |
| Steve Harris | 31.5 | 527 | |
| Total votes: 1,672 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William Ridenour completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ridenour'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’m a Constitutional Conservative and first-time candidate. I am a retired a Marine and a retired defense intelligence officer have over 40 years’ service. As a Marine officer, I principally served in combat units. I survived the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and other terrorist attacks. As a defense intelligence officer, I conducted strategic counterterrorism/counterintelligence missions against our most dangerous enemies, including deploying to Iraq. I’m a Marine Corps War College Distinguished Graduate, and retired in 2021 as the Joint Staff J2 Chief of Strategic Policy, as I saw the utter futility of advising the feckless Biden regime. I am focused on protecting and securing our freedoms and rights under the Constitution. I believe families are the cornerstone of a free society. I’m Pro-Life, and a strong advocate for protecting our Constitutional rights. I believe religious freedom is critical for a free society. I’m for LEGAL immigration and countering crime. I’m for reducing both our federal and state government sizes, lowering taxes, and against government restrictions and mandates. I believe we need to improve our free market economy, infrastructure, and our failing educational system. I believe we must Keep West Virginia Free and Open! As Delegate and a retired Marine, I’ll fight for our American Freedoms, and to preserve West Virginia as an Oasis of Liberty. See my positions and proposals at https://billridenour.com/.
- American Liberty is enduring its most dangerous period in our history; we are at a crossroads – we either regain our Freedoms or descend into tyranny. The People must secure their Liberty – government is not Freedom’s guarantor. Government must be restricted as much as possible to ensure Liberty, while avoiding anarchy. Our Rights are God-given and not derived from any government. State legislatures must resume their role as the principal bulwark against the federal government, and must zealously guard against overreach by the federal government and bureaucracy. To resolve excesses by the federal government and threats to Liberty, a Convention of States to amend the Constitution to strengthen Liberty and restrict government is critical.
- West Virginia is an Oasis of Liberty – we can’t sit by as proponents of tyranny attack our Freedoms. Our society & economy must be open – individual responsibility should be our standard; oppressive mandates should not be imposed on a free society. I am proudly pro-Life & pro-Family. The 1st & 2nd Amendments are critical to a functioning Republic and must be defended by every means – the People must oppose corporations & groups that seek to undermine the Constitution and our Liberty. Free Enterprise, particularly small business, is the best economic system for a free society – government must avoid interfering with Free Enterprise. Racism, of any stripe, is an attack on Liberty that should never be encouraged or tolerated.
- A society founded on law and order is critical for a functional government – equal justice and effective law enforcement are pillars of an effective society. Security of the People is government’s critical function – our police must be supported. Illegal immigration is a threat to our Liberty–state governments must do more to counter this threat. Corruption in government is a betrayal of Liberty, and should be eradicated. Professional politicians must be regularly turned out to ensure the People are their own representatives. As the Constitution stipulates, state legislatures have authority over elections – the states must re-assert their primacy over elections to ensure they are free, fair and isolated from political partisan manipulation.
Reducing federal & state government bureaucracies. Cutting taxes. Eliminating federal government overreach and political repression. Term limits. Government accountability. Ending government corruption. Ensuring free, fair and honest elections. Education: Refocusing on core subjects, including history; Classroom teaching, instead of federal, state & school bureaucracies; School choice; Opposing anti-American, anti-Liberty, anti-Free Enterprise & racist indoctrination; Preventing the sexualization and grooming of our children. Jobs and Local Economy: Attracting more businesses and high-skills public servants. Preserving our farmland. Criminal Justice: Requiring prosecution of certain crimes. Stopping illegal immigration and drugs.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, U. S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, and Ronald Reagan. These were great men, great leaders and great innovators. If I were to pick any one, it would be George Washington, not only because he was president and the key figure in the Revolution, but because he understood the People would have been made him a king. But Washington believed, with all his heart, that Liberty was the destiny for our country and the world.
I would recommend the paper my son and I wrote “Prophesying Tyranny - The Anti-Federalists and the Fate of Our World.” The paper is on my campaign website. I also recommend Mark Levin’s political philosophy books, particularly Liberty and Tyranny.
I've studied the U.S. Constitution, and read and know the West Virginia Constitution. I know the Constitutional role of our Legislature. I also know how government works at both the federal and state levels, and what roles were intended under federalism for our House of Delegates. I believe my role as a Delegate is to represent the will of the people who elect me.
I also believe that the focus on accomplishing the mission that both my parents and the Marine Corps instilled in me makes me a better person and elected representative, as I am determined to do the best for the people who elect me.
From the time I was 14 until I was 19, I was a part-time sawyer at my father's sawmill, building pallets and working many other tasks. My brothers and I worked full 8-10 hour weekday shifts and often Saturdays during the summers. During the school year, my and I worked during weekdays when we didn’t have football, swimming, wrestling or track practice, and during most Saturdays. During college, I often worked when I was back from school, particularly during the summer. It was physically very difficult, and often dangerous, work. I was paid $1 an hour, however, we often didn’t get paid, since times were very tough. My parents had to decide whether to pay us or eat. My first fully paid job was as a Marine officer. I was a Marine until my retirement after 20 years, but I will always be a Marine.
The governor’s role is to execute the direction of the People via their representatives in the state legislature. Unfortunately, too many governors exercise their authorities beyond what was ever intended by both the nation’s and most states’ founders. In certain cases, such as California, New Jersey, Michigan, New York, and even recently, until Glenn Youngkin’s victory, in Virginia, they have became dwarf tyrants. The state legislature should provide direction to the executive branch, and the executive branch, under the guidance of the governor, should EXECUTE the legislature’s direction, not develop often contrary policies and direction. The state legislature should provide active oversight of the executive branch’s execution of the legislature’s direction. If the legislature does not believe the executive branch is accurately following its direction or is actively deviating from the direction, then the legislature should have the authority, not just via impeachment, to dismiss executive branch members.
I don’t believe it is beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics, as state legislators should not be professional politicians. I believe we need a mix of legislators with varied backgrounds, who can bring their experiences of the real world to government. Professional politicians and bureaucrats are major problems in our country, and we should be doing our best to prevent both professional politicians and bureaucrats being office to long via term limits. Lobbyists are also a blight on our country. The last thing we need to do is elect more lobbyists who then use their position to advance their group’s and their own agenda, vice the People’s agenda.
The legislature should oversee all use of emergency powers. The members of the legislature are the most direct representatives of the People. The People need to exercise their power over their own government, particularly including any use of emergency powers, as these powers can and have been abused by many governments in the past. Any use of emergency powers should result in immediate notification to the legislature. If actions resulting from the emergency powers will have any significant impact on the People or will last for more than a short period, the legislature should be called into a special session to discuss and vote on the extent and use of designated emergency powers.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Candidate for West Virginia Governor
West Virginia State Senator Patricia Rucker
West Virginia Republican Assembly
West Virginia Freedom Caucus
West Virginia Farm Bureau
West Virginia Citizens Defense League
National Rifle Association A rating
West Virginia Nurses PAC
West Virginia Health Freedom PAC
Eastern Panhandle Business Association
West Virginia State Senator Mike Stuart
Jefferson County Sheriff Tom Hansen
West Virginians for Life
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.
2022
William Ridenour completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ridenour's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
I’m a Constitutional Conservative and first-time candidate. I have over 40 years’ service as a Marine and a defense intelligence officer. Now I want to serve the People of West Virginia. My campaign focuses on protecting and securing our freedoms and rights under the Constitution. I believe families are the corner stone of a free society. I’m Pro-Life, and First and Second Amendments. I believe religious freedom is critical for a free society. I’m for LEGAL immigration. I’m for reducing both our federal and state government sizes, lowering taxes, and against government restrictions and mandates. I believe we must Keep West Virginia Free and Open! As a retired Marine officer, I operated mainly in combat units. I survived the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. As a recently retired DoD intelligence officer I conducted strategic counterterrorism/counterintelligence missions against our most dangerous enemies, including deploying to Iraq. I’m a Marine Corps War College Distinguished Graduate, and retired in 2021 as the Joint Staff J2 Chief of Strategic Policy, as I saw the utter futility of advising the feckless Biden regime. As Delegate and a retired Marine, I’ll fight for American Liberty, and to preserve West Virginia as an Oasis of Liberty.
- American Liberty is enduring its most dangerous period in our history; we are at a crossroads – either regain our Freedoms or descend into tyranny. The People must secure their Liberty – government is not our guarantor. Government must be as restricted as possible to ensure Liberty, while avoiding anarchy. Our Rights are God given and not derived from any government. State legislatures must resume their role as the principal bulwark against the federal government, and must zealously guard against overreach by the federal government and bureaucracy. To resolve excesses by the federal government and threats to Liberty, a Convention of States to amend the Constitution to strengthen Liberty and restrict government is critical.
- West Virginia is an Oasis of Liberty – we can’t sit by as proponents of tyranny attack our Freedoms. Our society & economy should be open – individual responsibility should be the standard for all; oppressive mandates should not be imposed on a free society. I am proudly pro-Life & pro-Family. The 1st & 2nd Amendments are critical to a functioning Republic and must be defended by every means – the People must punish corporations & groups that seek to undermine the Constitution and our Liberty. Free Enterprise, particularly small business, is the best economic system for a free society – government must avoid interfering with Free Enterprise. Racism, of any stripe, is an attack on Liberty that should never be encouraged or tolerated.
- An ordered society is critical to a functional government – equal justice and effective law enforcement are pillars of an ordered society. Security of the People is government’s most critical function – our police must be supported. Illegal immigration is a threat to our Liberty–state governments must do more to counter this threat. Corruption in government is a betrayal of Liberty, and should be eradicated. Professional politicians must be regularly turned out to ensure the People are their own representatives. As the Constitution stipulates, state legislatures have authority over elections – the states must re-assert their primacy over elections to ensure they are free, fair and isolated from political partisan manipulation.
Reducing federal & state government bureaucracies. Eliminating federal government overreach. Fighting Federal political repression. Term limits. Government accountability. Ending corruption in government. Ensuring free, fair & honest elections. Education: Refocusing on core subjects, including history; Focusing on classroom teaching, instead of federal, state & school bureaucracies; School choice; Opposing anti-American, anti-Liberty, anti-Free Enterprise & racist propaganda; More in-person classroom instruction by teachers, instead of dubious computer systems. Jobs and Local Economy: Attracting businesses and high-skills public servants. Criminal Justice: Requiring prosecution of certain crimes. Stopping illegal immigration & drugs.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, U. S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, and Ronald Reagan. These were great men, great leaders and great innovators. If I were to pick any one, it would be George Washington, not only because he was president and the key figure in the Revolution, but because he understood the People would have been made him a king. But Washington believed with all his heart that Liberty was the destiny for our country and the world.
I would recommend the paper my son and I wrote “Prophesying Tyranny - The Anti-Federalists and the Fate of Our World.” The paper is on my campaign website. I would also recommend Mark Levin’s political philosophy books, particularly Liberty and Tyranny.
I've studied the U.S. Constitution, and read and know the West Virginia Constitution. I know the Constitutional role of our Legislature. I also know how government works at both the federal and state levels, and what roles were intended under federalism for our House of Delegates. I believe my role as a Delegate is to represent the will of the people who elect me.
The war in Vietnam. I began to understand the war when I was eight years old, as I watched the beginning of the daily casualty counts on the news. I watched as the media began to deliberately manipulate information, particularly Walter Cronkite’s betrayal on the 1968 Tet Offensive, to undermine our troops and our allies largely because the country elected a Republican president, Nixon, rather than the media’s preferred Democrat as president.
From the time I was 14, I was a sawyer at my father's sawmill, building pallets and many other jobs. It was physically very difficult, and often dangerous, work. However, my first fully paid job was as a Marine officer. I was a Marine until my retirement after 20 years, but I will always be a Marine.
The Bible. Because it is the word of God.
The governor’s role is to execute the direction of the People via their representatives in the state legislature. Unfortunately, too many governors in the country are exercising their authorities beyond what was ever intended by both the nation’s and most states’ founders. In certain cases, such as California, New Jersey, Michigan, New York, and even recently, until Glenn Youngkin’s victory, in Virginia with Governor Blackface, they have become mini-tyrants. The state legislature should be providing direction to the executive branch, and the executive branch, under the guidance of the governor, should EXECUTE the legislature’s direction, not develop often contrary policies and direction. The state legislature should provide active oversight of the executive branch’s execution of the legislature’s direction. If the legislature does not believe the executive branch is accurately following its direction or is actively deviating from the direction, then the legislature should have the authority, not just via impeachment, to dismiss executive branch members.
The legislature should oversee all use of emergency powers. The members of the legislature are the most direct representatives of the People. The People need to exercise their power of their own government, particularly including any use of emergency powers, as these powers can and have been abused by many governments in the past. Any use of emergency powers should result in immediate notification to the legislature. If actions resulting from the emergency powers will have any significant impact on the People or will last for more than a short period, the legislature should be called into a special session to discuss and vote on the use of emergency powers.
I do not believe that compromise of morals or values is necessary to develop good policymaking. I believe that practical compromise to achieve a pragmatic solution may be necessary for certain issues, but any compromise involving changing morals or values is a betrayal of the trust the voters put into their representatives.
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].
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to March 11.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 12.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 |
Officeholder West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 10, 2022
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 100 2022-Present |
Succeeded by - |
