In 2025, West Virginia will be busy with local city and town elections (113 municipalities, primarily in April-June). All of these are nonpartisan contests for local offices such as mayor, city council, recorder, etc. There are no school board elections in 2025 (those will resume in 2026), and no known special elections for legislative offices.
We reviewed what was public about all candidates running in West Virginia’s 113 municipal elections in 2025 and looked to identify any with anti-LGBTQ+ records—whether through public statements, policy positions, campaign platforms, voting history, or affiliations.
In all these races, 1 candidates stuck out: Mike George!
Candidate for Mayor of Charles Town, WV
Election Date: May 21, 2025
Mike George is part of a dangerous wave of local officials using their positions to push anti-LGBTQ+ fear and misinformation—starting in our public schools. As a Charles Town City Councilmember and former school board member, George has used his platform to align with far-right groups like Moms for Liberty, oppose Pride visibility in classrooms, and promote bans on books with LGBTQ+ themes.
George has positioned himself at the center of the culture war in West Virginia, targeting queer students, inclusive educators, and progressive school policies under the banner of “parental rights.” He’s echoed the national playbook of attacking trans youth, censoring school curricula, and framing LGBTQ+ equality as a threat to children.
Now, George is running for Mayor of Charles Town—hoping to take his discriminatory agenda citywide. Agenda PAC is sounding the alarm: Mike George is West Virginia’s most dangerous anti-LGBTQ+ local candidate in 2025—and he must be stopped.
Key Vulnerabilities
Attacks on Public Education and Book Access
As a former school board member, George supported banning books with LGBTQ+ themes or so-called “progressive ideology.” These types of policies disproportionately impact Black, queer, and historically marginalized authors, and position George against libraries, educators, and free speech advocates.
Culture War Obsession at the Expense of Real Local Issues
Rather than focus on infrastructure, small business development, housing, or public safety—core issues for Charles Town—George routinely centers “culture war” talking points in his public comments. His sidewalk chalk remarks during Pride Month, for example, prioritized his distaste for LGBTQ+ expression over inclusive community building.
Alienation of Youth and Young Voters
George’s opposition to LGBTQ+ visibility in schools, dismissal of inclusive curriculum, and general “anti-woke” stance are directly alienating to high school and college-aged voters, who are more progressive and mobilized than ever—especially on issues of identity, justice, and education.
Mike George is part of a growing wave of local extremists weaponizing “parental rights” rhetoric to undermine LGBTQ+ inclusion—and now he’s aiming to take that agenda citywide. From school board antics to city council resistance, George has made it clear: he doesn’t believe LGBTQ+ people belong in public life.
He has:
A documented record of opposing LGBTQ+ visibility, nondiscrimination laws, and Pride events.
A reputation for dismissive, hostile rhetoric that alienates inclusive voters.
A competitive mayoral race in a city that’s already shown support for equality.
