Doug Reynolds (politician)


Douglas Vernon Reynolds (born February 8, 1976 in Huntington, West Virginia an American politician, businessman, and a former Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing District 17 from January 12, 2013 to January 2017. Reynolds served consecutively from January 2007 until January 2013 in the District 16 seat. In 2016 Reynolds decided against running for his seat again, instead opting to run for the Attorney General of West Virginia position. Reynolds is also an attorney, the president of Energy Services of America, a pipeline construction company, and HD Media the publisher of the Herald-Dispatch and five other newspapers throughout West Virginia.

Early life and education

Reynolds grew up in Wayne, West Virginia and graduated from Wayne High School in the same town. After graduating high school, Reynolds attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. While there he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political science from Duke University. After graduated from Duke, Reynolds attended the West Virginia University College of Law in Morgantown, West Virginia, earning his Juris Doctor. He later was granted admittance to the West Virginia state Bar.

Career

Private sector

Reynolds has been the President and Chief executive officer of Energy Services of America, a public holding company for energy and construction subsidiaries, since 2012. Along with this, Reynolds was the founder and a director for the First Bank of Charleston before it was purchased by Premier Bank Reynolds also serves on the boards of the United Way of the River Cities, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of Huntington, Prestera Foundation and the City of Huntington Foundation.
Reynolds is the founder and managing director of HD Media a publisher of weekly newspapers and magazines. The company currently owns The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, WV, the Charleston Gazette-Mail in Charleston, WV, the Wayne County News in Wayne County, WV, the Putnam Herald in Putnam County, WV, the Williamson Daily News in Williamson, WV, the Logan Banner in Logan, WV, the Coal Valley News in Boone County, WV and the Independent Herald in Wyoming County, WV.

Public Sector

Along with his career in the private sector, Reynolds has used his Juris Doctor to serve as both a public defender and an Assistant District Attorney in Huntington. Reynolds won election to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2006 and served as a Delegate for West Virginia House District 17 until 2016, when he decided not to run for reelection at the end of his term. Reynolds instead announced his candidacy for the West Virginia Attorney General position that was currently held by Republican Patrick Morrisey. Reynolds particularly took issue with Morrisey's close ties with the pharmaceutical industry given West Virginia's struggle with opioids. The race was notable in the amount of outside spending on behalf of Morrisey by the Republican Attorneys General Association. In the end, the outside funding was too much Reynolds to overcome, losing the race 42% - 52%.

Elections