West Virginia Women Rally Behind Tenant Job Plan

Press Release

West Virginia Secretary of State and U.S. Senate nominee Natalie Tennant continued her jobs tour with a focus on women's pocket book issues today in Bridgeport.

Women across West Virginia are rallying behind Tennant's West Virginia first message that will put working families ahead of Wall Street millionaires. Tennant highlighted the impacts of the pay gap and minimum wage on working families as more and more women support their households.

Today's stop is Tennant's sixth in a statewide jobs tour following the release of her Jobs and Business Agenda (read here).

"This race isn't about having the first woman from West Virginia in the U.S. Senate, it's about having the best woman for West Virginia in the U.S. Senate -- someone who will stand up and fight for equal pay for equal work, and make sure everyone who works hard for 40 hours a week is paid what they deserve," Tennant said. "Women all across West Virginia are supporting families, running businesses and working to better their communities. They deserve a Senator who will work just as hard for them as they do for West Virginia."

Tennant's opponent, longtime Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, has a record of voting against West Virginia women.

· Capito has voted FIVE times against equal pay for equal work, even though West Virginia women earn 70 cents for every dollar earned by a man (source).

· Capito has voted EIGHT times against raising the minimum wage, even though 2/3 of minimum wage workers in West Virginia are women. (source).

· Capito has voted to end Medicare as we know it, jeopardizing seniors' access to healthcare and hurting women taking care of elderly parents.

· Capito has supported privatizing Social Security, even though more than half of all West Virginia women over age 65 would be living in poverty without Social Security (source).

On Monday, Tennant hosted a discussion with small business owners in Lewisburg, Thursday she met with the Pleasants Area Chamber of Commerce, and Friday she toured a bioscience company on Morgantown. Last week, Tennant unveiled her Jobs and Business Agenda in Morgantown, and held a roundtable with local leaders in Mingo County.

Tennant has a record of supporting West Virginia businesses in the Secretary of State's Office, including lowering fees on small businesses and making it easier to file paperwork, which saves time and money businesses can spend creating jobs.

Tennant's Jobs and Business Agenda is the second in a series of detailed policy agendas she is unveiling throughout the summer. Tennant has been on a 55 County Tour of the state since January and her policy platform is designed to address the issues West Virginians have raised along the way.

On June 3rd, Tennant unveiled her Coal and Energy Jobs Agenda at a coal miner training facility in Raleigh County, followed by stops at a natural gas drilling site in Gilmer County, a solar panel business in Morgan County, and a training center for natural gas workers in Wheeling.

Tennant says she is running to put West Virginia first and is asking for public comment on her Agenda to make sure all West Virginia voices are heard. Tennant is asking West Virginians to read her Jobs and Business Agenda by going to on her website at NatalieTennant.com and clicking on "Issues," then "Jobs and Business." West Virginians are encouraged to send input to Jobs@natalietennant.com.

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