CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Longtime Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor Debra Rusnak has announced her campaign for county prosecutor in 2024.
“I believe I am qualified for this job. I’m uniquely qualified because of my experience dealing with those victims and in dealing with some of the most violent people that we have here in Kanawha County,” Rusnak said Wednesday as she filed pre-candidacy papers at the Kanawha County Courthouse.
Rusnak will seek the GOP nomination in the May 2024 Primary Election. Current two-term Prosecutor Chuck Miller, also a Republican, is going to retire.
Miller, who turned 75 this week, was with Rusnak Wednesday. He plans on being the treasurer for her campaign.
Miller said Rusnak would bring the job varied life experiences.
“Not just legal education but certainly experience in the world I think makes you a better prosecutor,” Miller said. “That is knowing people, knowing where they’re coming from and known what goes on the world….that’s important.”
Rusnak would be the first woman elected prosecutor in Kanawha County if she’s successful next year. She said that would be an honor but that’s not why she’s running.
“I do believe that at the end of the day it is not about my gender, though, I do believe it is about my experience in these types of cases. My experience in dealing with criminals, holding them accountable and helping victims,” Rusnak said.
Miller, a former federal prosecutor, has been unopposed in the last two elections.
WCHS Radio reporter Carrie Hodousek contributed to this story.