Ryan James Ferns (born December 2, 1982) is an American politician from the state of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
. He was a member of the
West Virginia Senate
The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature.
There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in t ...
for the
1st district. Ferns was defeated for reelection in 2018 by Democratic candidate
William J. Ihlenfeld II.
Biography
Ferns was first elected to the
West Virginia House of Delegates
The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.
Organization
Regular sessions begin with ...
in 2010, as a member of the
Democratic Party.
On April 20, 2012, he was arrested for drunken driving in
Wheeling, Virginia. On April 23, 2012, he entered a guilty plea and paid a $500 fine. Ferns' blood-alcohol level was 0.22, nearly three times West Virginia's legal limit. That year, he was reelected by 280 votes. He switched his allegiance to the
Republican Party in November 2013.
In 2014, he challenged Democrat
Rocky Fitzsimmons in an election to the
West Virginia Senate
The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature.
There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in t ...
. Ferns narrowly defeated Fitzsimmons. He was chosen as the West Virginia Senate Majority Leader in December 2016.
In 2018, Ferns was defeated for reelection by former
U.S. Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
for the
Northern District of West Virginia William J. Ihlenfeld II.
Electoral history
See also
*
List of American politicians who switched parties in office
The following American politicians switched parties while they were holding elected office.
Federal
State
Local
See also
* List of Canadian politicians who have crossed the floor
* List of elected British politicians who have chang ...
References
External links
West Virginia Legislature - Senator Ryan Ferns''official government website''
Project Vote Smart - Senator Ryan Ferns (WV)profile
1982 births
21st-century American politicians
American physiotherapists
Living people
Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates
Politicians from Wheeling, West Virginia
West Virginia Democrats
West Virginia Republicans
West Virginia state senators
Wheeling University alumni
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