David Kelly (Born November 8, 1956) is an American politician who has served as a Delegate from the 6th district to the West Virginia House of Delegates since 2020. Kelly is a Republican.

Early life, education, and career

Kelly was born in Petersburg, West Virginia to Darlene Dotson Kelly and John E. Kelly. He has a PhD in divinity. Kelly served 20 years in law enforcement, including two terms as a sheriff. He also served as the Tyler County commissioner before running to be a delegate.^[1]

Elections

2018

In his primary, Kelly defeated fellow Republican Alex King with 53.05% of the vote to earn the nomination.^[2]

Kelly defeated Democrat T. Chris Combs and Independent J. Scott Beaver with 67.05% of the vote in the general election.^[3]

2020

In his second primary election, Kelly ran unopposed.^[4]

Kelly defeated Democrat Cindy Welch with 72.70% of the vote to win reelection in the general election.^[5]

Tenure

Committee assignments

• Select Committee on Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse (Chair)^[6]
• Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Judiciary
• Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security

Kelly is the Assistant Majority Whip in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.

Kelly has a 77% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union.^[7] He also has a B− rating from the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun rights organization, as of 2020.^[8] Kelly had a 16% rating from the West Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club as of 2020.^[9]

Personal life

Kelly is married to Jan Kelly and has four children. He is a Protestant.^[1]