Growing Up with Politics

In 2004, most fourth graders at the time were excited to wake up on the weekends and watch cartoons and play Mario Kart on the GameCube. But me? I was excited to go door-knocking and hold campaign signs for my dad, Magistrate Steve Massie, in Raleigh County. In 2004, I was ten years old and in the fourth grade at Shady Spring Elementary School. At that time, my dad was the Territory Manager for the popular mobile home company Oakwood Homes. One morning in 2003, my father watched the incumbent Magistrate in our county get arrested; that was the day he decided to run for office for the very first time. “I wanted to teach my two daughters the importance of a public office so I decided to run for Magistrate.” And over the next 12 years he did just that.

    In 2004 many new things were coming to our family. It was a crazy year filled with many fun things for my family and I. The first thing my dad did was create campaign signs. Dad comes from a small coal-mining family in Huntington, West Virginia. He has been known to be more “old school.” In 2004, his first election, he didn’t buy campaign signs and have signs created. Instead, he created his own with ply wood and spray paint. He decided to use the slogan “Be Classy, Vote Massie.” He also decided to turn all of his signs upside down to show that he could turn Raleigh County right side up if he won. And he did. In 2004, my father was the first Republican to win the Magistrate seat in Raleigh County.

    From then on our lives had changed drastically. I remember waking up the day after the election and watching how humble my father was that morning. His whole life he has worked hard to be where he is now and he is more than humble about it.

    Over the years I started to become more and more involved with politics. I would attend Lincoln Day Dinners with my family and I would attend Raleigh County Republican Committee meetings from age eleven. My father’s term would end in four years, in 2008, and we were all uncertain if he would run again. When dad realized how much support he was receiving and how many people in our county needed him to run again, he filed for re-election. In 2008 my father won the office of Magistrate again. He put out signs and even campaigned at huge local events like Chili Night. The night before, our whole family stayed up until 2:00 A.M. putting “Vote Massie” stickers on candy bars and bags of chips. On Chili Night, my family walked around downtown Beckley in the freezing cold handing out these items to potential voters and supporters. That night I didn’t really understand how important that kind of campaigning really was, not the way I understand it today. 

    In 2012, my father was up for re-election again. That year was more than important to me because not only was I graduating high school, but it was the first year that I could vote. In 2012, I had the chance to cast my very first ballot. As I was standing in the corner listening to the lady explain the voting process to me, all I could see was my father in the corner taking pictures of me with a huge grin on his face. I could see in his eyes the excitement that his own daughter was old enough to participate in that important day. Right there, in that moment, I finally saw how growing up in politics has really shaped my life. On the night the results were announced, my father came out on top winning by 13,000 votes.

    Over the years, not only did I focus on my father’s election, but many others as well. I have had many opportunities in life thanks to the Raleigh County Republican Committee and the Mountaineer Republican Women. For the past two years, I have been chosen to sing the National Anthem at the annual Lincoln Day Dinner, and at other events held by the party. I have been given the opportunity to meet so many great individuals throughout West Virginia who hold local, state, and national offices as well. One of the greatest accomplishments I hold to this day was receiving a scholarship from the Mountaineer Republican Committee. These women have watched me grow over the past twelve years and it was such a high honor to receive that for all five years for Concord University. Over the years I have become more and more grateful for these two committees in Raleigh County. They have taught me many things. They have instilled their best interest in me and given me great wisdom that I will always carry on with me and pass down to future generations.

    Along with the Republican committees in Raleigh County, I have learned many things from my father. He has been my biggest role model along with my mother who has stood by his side for 26 years. This year my father decided to run again for Magistrate and won his race, and I am proud to say that one of his votes was from myself. There are many reasons why I am proud of my father. He is a Navy veteran, a devoted man of God, a man who always puts his family first, a leader in West Virginia, and someone who taught me to never give up and pray every day. He’s not only Magistrate Steve Massie, he’s my dad.