87th American Legion Mountaineer Boys State
Miss West Virginia 2025, Courtney Bearer — the first competitor ever to perform a hula hoop routine on the Miss America stage — joined ALMBS Citizens this morning to share her “Connecting with Cardio” heart health platform and a message about working hard regardless of the obstacles. Her keynote reminded Citizens that 80% of heart disease cases are preventable, and that the things that make you different are often the things that make you memorable.
Brent Walker, Communications Director for the West Virginia Department of Transportation and the 1981 ALMBS Governor, returned to Jackson’s Mill on June 10 to deliver a breakfast keynote on what it actually takes to govern. Speaking directly to ALMBS’s newly elected leadership and bringing greetings from Governor Patrick Morrisey, Walker reminded Citizens that “winning the office is the clean part” — and that real leadership is “the brutal science of choosing between competing necessities.” Forty-five years after his own ALMBS year, Walker said the memory of Jackson’s Mill is still driving him.
The Federalist Party ran the table. In the 2026 Mountaineer Boys State general election, Federalist nominees won all six statewide constitutional offices — a clean sweep, and one the primary turnout didn’t forecast, since Nationalists had cast more primary ballots than Federalists (157 to 131). A total of 286 ballots were cast Tuesday.
At the top of the ticket, Jaxson “Action” Rappold (Federalist) cruised to the Governor’s office with 205 votes (71.68%), defeating Coleman “Coalman” Nutter (Nationalist), who took 67 (23.43%). Write-ins drew 14 votes (4.90%) — the only race where they made a real dent.
Governor Debate
Coal Man vs. Action Jack. The governor hopefuls turned the stage into a referendum on nuclear energy — Rapold betting on it to “save us,” Nutter firing back to “invest in people, not power.” Who made the closing case? The full showdown is inside.
Cabinet Debates
Coal or nuclear? Tax the companies or the people? From agriculture to attorney general, the cabinet candidates traded sharp policy blows — plus a bipartisan lawsuit over cabin representation and a debate-stealing “carousel” metaphor. See how every office matched up inside.
Nationalist Convention
“West Virginia first.” The Nationalists laid out a four-pillar platform — industry, quality of life, opportunity, and education reform — backed by a slate from the Chocolate Thunder to the Coal Man. They closed in unity: nationalists and federalists, “all West Virginians.” Get the full convention recap inside.
Federalist Convention
The Federalists came loud and ready — from the “Greenhouse, great house” chant to “Yao money,” a lawsuit over fair representation, and a keynote built on nuclear power. Action Jack closed it out, and the whole party sang it home with “Country Roads.” Read the full convention recap inside.
West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey returned to Boys State this week with a simple challenge: make a friend who disagrees with you. He walked citizens through four major cases his office is fighting—from women’s sports at the Supreme Court to child safety online—and urged them to build their futures in West Virginia.
The 87th American Legion Mountaineer Boys State got a powerful jolt of inspiration Monday morning when West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner took the stage at Jackson’s Mill to address this year’s Citizens. Warner, elected as the state’s 31st Secretary of State in 2024, brought energy, candor, and a direct challenge to every young man in the room: take what you learn this week and go do something with it.
Warner opened by making clear just how meaningful it is to be selected for Boys State, calling the American Legion’s program the premier leadership experience for high school students anywhere in the nation. He also made a personal offer that turned some heads: grab his business card on the way out, and he’ll write you a letter of recommendation for college, internships, graduate school, whatever comes next. “I know how hard it is to get a good recommendation at your age,” he told the crowd, “and I want to be there for you.”
The address took a deep dive into West Virginia’s unique place in voting rights history. Warner walked Citizens through the decades-long fight of Senator Jennings Randolph of Salem, WV, who spent nearly 30 years championing the 26th Amendment, ultimately guaranteeing 18, 19, and 20-year-olds the right to vote. He also highlighted a string of remarkable young West Virginians who didn’t wait to get involved, including Delegate Saira Blair, who won her primary at age 17 and was elected to the House of Delegates at 18, and Caleb Hanna, who won his seat just days after turning 19.
Warner also laid out a specific challenge for Citizens to carry back home: the Jennings Randolph Award for Student Civic Engagement. Any West Virginia high school that conducts a student-led voter registration drive and registers at least 85% of its seniors earns the award, and two student leaders can be nominated as honorary Secretaries of State and recognized before the West Virginia Legislature. His four field representatives were on-site to connect with any Citizen ready to take that challenge back to their school in the fall.
It was exactly the kind of visit Boys State is built for: a real elected official, a real conversation, and a real ask. Warner closed by recognizing the adult staff and counselors who make the program run, and reminded Citizens that the lessons of this week don’t end Saturday. Future mayors, legislators, governors, and yes, maybe even a future Secretary of State were in that room. The only question is what they’ll do next.
Kanawha/Braxton County (cities of Charleston and Sutton) is the last of six county groups to report — and with it, the 2026 Mountaineer Boys State primary is 100% reported. Both parties’ tickets are now set across every county, city, legislative seat, and the statewide constitutional offices.