By embracing the challenge of building from the ground up — and standing up for those the economy has left behind. We’re not just entering politics, we’re reshaping it. This campaign is about creating a more just, compassionate, and accountable society for everyone.
Having lived through real struggle isn’t a weakness... It’s a strength. Christopher Whitcomb is living proof that resilience, redemption, and hard-earned experience can lead to real leadership.
Running under the banner of Ground Up, he stands for something many West Virginians understand deeply: what it means to start with nothing, fight through adversity, and rise against the odds.
Civic Seal
Whitcomb is deeply engaged in the community, with a strong focus on improving infrastructure, especially in neglected downtown areas.
Civic Seal is more than just a company...It’s a movement. Built on the belief that opportunity should be within reach for everyone, Civic Seal is helping everyday West Virginians start businesses, build networks, and breathe new life into their communities.
Through local partnerships, mentorship programs, and hands-on support, Civic Seal empowers people to launch small businesses from the ground up. It hosts networking events, fosters community hubs, and prioritizes underserved areas that have been overlooked for far too long.
Substance Use Epedemic
Chris Whitcomb understands what it means to fight for your future. He knows that, for many West Virginians, that fight begins with the hard road to sobriety and recovery. He’s walked alongside people battling addiction, offering support not just as a leader, but as someone who truly understands the weight of it all. Chris has seen how addiction can tear through families and communities. It doesn’t just impact one person, but everyone around them.
But he’s also witnessed the strength it takes to recover. He’s seen people rebuild their lives with dignity and courage, and he believes recovery isn’t just possible... It’s worth fighting for. That’s why Chris is committed to partnering with treatment centers to expand access to care, removing the stigma and barriers around mental health and recovery support, creating job opportunities and reentry programs for those rebuilding their lives, and investing in community-based solutions that offer real hope and healing.
“I’ve seen what addiction takes,” he says, “but I’ve also seen what recovery can give. Everyone deserves that chance.” For Chris, recovery isn’t just about surviving. It’s about rebuilding lives, families, and futures from the ground up.
Standing With WV Coal Communities
Coal built West Virginia. For generations, it fueled our economy, powered the nation, and supported thousands of working families. It wasn’t just a job, it was a way of life rooted in grit, pride, and community. But today, the coal workforce is the smallest it’s been since the 1800s, and too many towns have been left behind, with few opportunities and even fewer voices speaking up for them.
Chris Whitcomb isn’t running to make false promises. He’s running to fight for a future that honors our past while creating real opportunity for the people who’ve carried this state on their backs for decades. He believes in building a future with the same hard work and resilience that shaped West Virginia. That starts with bold, honest action.
Chris’s Plan for Transition & Resilience lays out a clear path forward. It includes funding job training and certification programs for laid-off miners and young adults, with a focus on skilled trades, broadband, infrastructure, and logistics. It creates local apprenticeships in clean energy, construction, and rural infrastructure, providing high-paying jobs rooted right here. He supports the RECLAIM and ACT Now legislation to repurpose former mine lands into energy hubs, agri-forestry sites, training centers, and small business incubators. Turning what’s been abandoned into something that can thrive again.
Chris is also pushing for strong federal investment in Appalachian energy innovation, bringing clean manufacturing, solar, and next-generation power jobs to our region. And he believes in revitalizing local economies by reopening shuttered mills, restoring brownfield sites, and investing in rural industries like agri-business, community solar, and light manufacturing - industries that can stabilize and strengthen coalfield towns.
This plan isn’t about turning away from our history. It’s about building on the strength that’s always defined West Virginians and making sure no one is left behind as we build a future from the ground up.
Criminal Justice Reform
Chris Whitcomb isn’t a polished career politician... That’s exactly what makes him different. He’s someone who knows what it feels like to struggle, not because he read about it, but because he lived it. He’s walked the hard road, made mistakes, and fought his way back - not just for himself, but for the people who are still trying to find their way. Chris believes the system shouldn’t destroy lives, it should help rebuild them. His journey from the ground up isn’t just a personal story. It’s a blueprint for hope. He’s not in this to play politics. He’s in it to change lives. And right now, that’s exactly the kind of leadership West Virginia needs.
Marijuana Legalization
For Chris Whitcomb, advocating for marijuana legalization isn’t just about changing a law. It is about doing what is right. He sees it as a step toward justice, economic opportunity, and healing for communities that have been hit hardest by outdated drug policies. Legalizing cannabis means fewer people sitting in prison for non-violent offenses, more jobs for West Virginians, new streams of tax revenue, and a chance to begin repairing the harm caused by years of unfair and uneven enforcement. For Chris, it’s not about politics...It’s about giving people a fair shot and helping communities move forward.
Real Oppertunity
Chris Whitcomb believes that real opportunity should exist in every corner of West Virginia, not just for the privileged few. No one should have to leave their hometown just to find hope or a future. Our kids deserve a reason to stay, and the tools they need to build a life right here. In Congress, Chris won’t settle for empty promises. He’ll fight to bring real jobs and real resources to our communities. That means investing in local businesses and small-town entrepreneurs, expanding broadband and infrastructure so we’re connected and competitive, and making sure recovery and reentry come with real opportunities... Not dead ends. Because opportunity shouldn’t depend on your zip code, your last name, or your past. Chris knows what it feels like when doors aren’t open to you. That’s exactly why he’s running: to kick those doors wide open for the rest of us.
Fighting for Working Families, Building From The Ground Up
Paid for by Ground Up 2026, authorized by Christopher Whitcomb. West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District - Independent Candidate