Joe DeLong for Secretary of State

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Embargoed for Release Contact: Joe DeLong

June 18, 2007, 9:30 a.m. 304- 479-0545

House Majority Leader Announces Campaign for Secretary of State

Wheeling, WV – House Majority 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 West Virginia’s historic first Capital on Eoff Street 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 addition to voter registration and election fraud, DeLong highlighted three areas that he said he would pay particular attention to as Secretary of State.

E-Government

“According to a recently released national study, West Virginia ranks 46^th in E-Government capabilities and service. (A link to the study, conducted by Darrell M. West for the Taubman Center for Public Policy at Brown University, can be found on DeLong’s web site at www.joedelong.com).

While the Secretary of State’s office has made great strides over the last 6 ½ years, there is still much to be done in that office and throughout State Government to bring us up to the level of services being offered by other states. For example, while businesses in West Virginia can currently register on-line, they can’t file annual reports or make other required corporate filings and updates on-line.

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,” said DeLong.

“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, you ought to be able to accomplish the same tasks from the convenience of your 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 seek to expand the powers of the Secretary of State to investigate non-profit organizations, particularly those that utilize public monies, the same way we can currently investigate election fraud. This is a critical role the office can play in protecting the most 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 to detect corporate fraud. These expanded powers will allow us to help protect West Virginian’s from scams.”

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 $116,000 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 is 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 services of the national political media firm Strother, Duffy, Strother to work on his campaign. Some of their past clients have included Senator Al Gore for President, Governor Bill Clinton (AR), Governor Roy Barnes (GA), Governor Martha Lane Collins (KY), Senator Llyod Bentson (TX), Attorney General Bob Butterworth (FL), Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland, Kentucky Auditor Crit Luellen and Joe Manchin for Secretary of State (WV).

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