Joe DeLong for Secretary of State

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For Immediate Release Contact: Joe DeLong

June 15, 2007 304- 479-0545

House Minority Leader Announces Campaign for Secretary of State

Wheeling, W.Va. – House Minority Leader Joe DeLong will formerly announce his candidacy for West Virginia Secretary of State on Monday, June 15^th beginning in Wheeling at 9:30 at Independence Hall and in Charleston at 3:00 in the Governor’s Press Conference Room in the State Capitol.

DeLong, a former WVU football standout, was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2000 and was elevated to House Majority Leader by Speaker Rick Thompson in January of this year.

In making his announcement DeLong said he will focus on three main areas.

E-Government

“According to a recently released national study, West Virginia ranks 47^th in E-Government capabilities and service. While the Secretary of State’s office in particular, has made great strides over the last 6 ½ years, there are still much to be done throughout State Government to bring us up to the level of services being offered by other states. As one of the most technologically involved offices at the cabinet level I feel it’s appropriate that the Secretary of State take the lead in this important area.”

“Think of it this way,” added DeLong, “wherever you currently have to stand in line or depend on the post office to file a form, pay a fee, renew a license or file paperwork with the state, ought to be a function that can be carried out from the comfort and convince of your desk top computer.”

Non-Profit and Charitable Organization Oversight

“As Secretary of State I’ll fight to make sure we never have a repeat of the Wyoming County Senior Center debacle,” said DeLong. I’ll lobby the legislature to expand the powers of the Secretary of State to allow us to investigate non-profit organizations, particular those that utilize public monies, the way we can currently investigate election fraud. This is a critical role the office can play in protecting the must vulnerable members of our society, who may depend on non-profit and charitable organization for support and assistance.”

Corporate Fraud Investigations

“The West Virginia Secretary of State’s office currently needs broader powers to investigate corporate fraud. As the custodian of corporate records the Secretary of State is often in the best position detect corporate fraud. These expanded powers will allow us to do more than simply warehouse corporate documents.”

In making his announcement DeLong stressed that he would run a “well funded, modern professional campaign.” Towards that end DeLong stated that since he filed papers 45 days ago, he has accumulated more than $120,000 cash-on-hand. “I’m amazed and humbled by the number of people that have contributed to my campaign even before my formal announcement,” said DeLong. “While raising money in an unfortunate fact of modern political life I think the more transparent and open we make the process the better it is for all concerned. That’s why I’ve taken the unusual step of releasing, on my web site www.joedelong.com, the list of contributions I’ve received to-date. I would encourage and challenge my opponents to take similar steps within 45 days of their official announcements as well.

Finally, DeLong also announced that he had retained the service of national media consultant Strother, Duffy, Strother to work on his campaign. Some of their past clients have included Senator Al Gore for President, Governor Bill Clinton (AK), Governor Mark White (TX), Governor Martha Lane Collins (KY), Senator Llyod Bentson (TX), Attorney General Bob Butterworth (FL) and Joe Manchin for Secretary of State (WV).

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