Jason Armentrout grew up in a conservative evangelical Christian household.
His father Butch Armentrout helped establish the town of Carpendale, West Virginia – and is now Carpendale’s mayor.
Jason Armentrout says that’s where he got his interest in politics.
For the last 22 years, Armentrout has been a school teacher – first in Hampshire County public schools, then at a small Christian school in Cumberland, Maryland and for the past 14 years at Frankfort High School in Short Gap – where he teaches social studies and coaches the wrestling team.
Armentrout will be on the November ballot as an Independent and will oppose State Senator Charles Trump (R-Morgan) in the 15th Senatorial District – which includes parts of Mineral, all of Hampshire, all of Morgan and parts of Berkeley counties. There is no Democrat in the race.
Why did you decide to run?
“I don’t believe that anyone should have a free pass to any office,” Armentrout told This Week in Morgan County with Russell Mokhiber. “There have been times in West Virginia where we’ve had members of Congress running unopposed. I don’t believe that should ever be the case.”
Was it the teachers’ strike that pushed you into running?
“It was. The teachers’ strike was part of it. Teachers have always been dealt with as collateral damage. Both parties are guilty of it. A few years ago, when the Democrats had solid control of both houses and the Governors mansion, we pushed for teacher raises, better benefits. And back then they said the money wasn’t there.”
How did the teachers get the five percent raise?
“A lot of it was the work stoppage. We put them in a position where something had to be done. Over time you can only take so much. Years and years of asking for cost of living adjustments – we are not looking to be super rich. We are just looking for cost adjustment that would allow us to enjoy a decent middle class standard of living.”
“We are not asking for the world. When you have politicians year upon year who say – the money is not there, the money is not there, the money is not there – there is only so much of that that you can take.”
“And then you have several politicians who get up and they grandstand. And they make statements about teachers being whiners and being greedy.”
What was it about Charles Trump during the work stoppage?
“Charles works in the banking industry. He’s a money and numbers guy. He’s very intelligent. The numbers he was using were driven by the unity of the Republican Party saying – the money is not here. But after the stoppage, somehow, the money was there.”
Armentrout says the teachers were wary about going out on strike.
“We all were,” Armentrout. “The first two days of it were during the state wrestling tournament. I had wrestlers I had to take down to Huntington. I came out for the first day for about the first few hours of it, then I went back and picked up my wrestlers and drove them down to Huntington so that they could compete.”
“The teachers unions did say that if you were a coach, you wouldn’t be considered crossing the picket line if you continued to coach in the state tournaments and post-season.”
“When you have to take such a big step, it’s never comfortable. Sure you are going to be nervous. Sure you are going to be scared. And all of us were. Absolutely.”
Armentrout is in favor of an increase of severance tax on oil and gas.
“We’ve heard time and time again that this is going to make us less competitive with other states. I disagree. I like what Senator Richard Ojeda (D-Logan) said. It may drive the first two bidders out. But there is a line of people waiting to get that natural gas. As much natural gas as West Virginia has beneath us, someone is going to come after it, someone wants it, someone is going to pay for it. And we need to bargain in a way to take care of our people.”
“West Virginia has a history of giving away so many natural resources – timber, coal – to out of state interests. And we have never truly benefited from the extraction of those natural resources.”
“There has been so much dirty pool in the past that makes West Virginians untrusting of the natural resource companies. You look at the history of dirty tactics by out of state corporations – taking over county governments, taking over town governments.”
“Ojeda is more of a straight shooter. He is a Democrat. But he doesn’t seem to be dictated by a party platform. When it came to taking up for teachers, he had our backs. He seemed authentic in his demeanor. He said the right things that we needed to hear.”
“Time will tell. But I get the sense with him that he really did mean what he said and he would back it up if he was put in a position of greater leadership where he could be more influential. He did what he could do in the Senate to fight for us. He was as big part in bringing the Senate back. The Senate was the main body holding out. The House was way more cooperative. But in the end, I credit Senator Ojeda with bringing some sense to the state Senate.”
“I’m hoping this race can be a civics lesson for me and for my students,” Armentrout says. “But I’m in it to win it.”
“It’s an election where people are going to listen more. Just being a D or an R isn’t going to do it.”
Armentrout says that teachers are running for legislature around the state – including another wrestling coach.
Any lessons from wrestling that apply to politics?
“Never give up. I struggled in my first two years in wrestling. By the time I was in 11th grade, I decided that I was going to do what it takes to make it to the state tournament. I’m going to do what it takes. I’m going to wrestling camp in the summer. And in my junior year, I qualified for the state tournament. And in my senior year, I finished in the top eight in my weight class at the state tournament. I was going from little to no knowledge of the sport to being a two time state qualifier. It comes from hard work, perseverance, and never giving up.”