CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County history is being made Tuesday night as Republican candidate Debra Rusnak wins as first female Prosecuting Attorney in the county.
Rusnak beat out her Democratic challenger for the Prosecuting Attorney role in Kanawha County John Mitchell Jr. by a 2 to 1 margin.
She told MetroNews Tuesday night after the election results were in that she couldn’t be more ecstatic.
Debra Rusnak
“It’s very exciting, I’m very happy, I’m obviously blown away by the amount of support that I’ve received and now I think it’s just time to get to work,” Rusnak said.
Rusnak said while she’s happy to shatter the glass ceiling in becoming the first female prosecutor in the county, she knows that’s ultimately not why she was elected, but it was the hard work she has already put into the job that got her here.
“Ultimately, it’s not about my gender, I think it’s about my ability to do this job and to do it well, and I think that’s what people saw in me, I certainly hope I didn’t receive the votes just because of my gender,” she said. “I do believe I have shown this county how hard I’m willing to work.”
Rusnak has already been serving in an interim position for the role for the past nearly five months now after being appointed in June when former Prosecutor Chuck Miller retired.
She said her office has been working hard the past several months to make sure they continue to move forward, and doing so with the utmost integrity.
Rusnak said under her leadership, they have been creating certain initiatives to make sure they are handling each case appropriately and effectively.
As part of that, she said she has really strived to amplify communication and transparency within her office, ensuring her attorneys she employs are speaking to victims, speaking to officers as well as the public at large.
“I think that’s very, very important that we be open and the public be able to see what we’re doing, and understand that we work for you, we work for this county,” she said.
She said they are also working on several other initiatives moving forward, particularly making sure they are reviewing every single case that comes across their desks.
Rusnak said again, it all goes back to integrity.
“I’ve always faced prosecution with the belief that right is right, wrong is wrong, and fair is fair, and so we’re going to keep that mentality, because, you know, the integrity of this office is probably the most important aspect to make sure we are doing things properly,” said Rusnak.