91st House District GOP Candidate Clagett Under Scrutiny For Alleged Racist Posts
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CHARLESTON - Once again, the Republican who could be the next member of the House of Delegates in the 91st District in Berkeley County is coming under scrutiny after controversial social media posts emerged.
The current Republican candidate in the 91st District, Chris Clagett, is facing calls to withdraw and disavow social media posts that appear to be racial attacks against black women and Muslims. Clagett’s social media profiles were locked down as of Tuesday morning, but West Virginia Watch reported about the posts Monday.
An X post from January called black women “ill-mannered, ill-behaved, loud-mouthed.” In a 223 Facebook post, Clagett wrote, “I want to announce that I now identify as Trans ... racial that is. As a penance for my heretofore underserved status as a privileged white male, I now identify as a Black man. May the police hunt me down." In response to another social media post, Clagett said “If 'care' means 'to have affection for,' then yes, we care more about our dogs” than Muslim immigrants.
A request for comment from Clagett was not returned Tuesday, but in a radio interview on WRNR’S Eastern Panhandle Talk, Clagett confirmed making the post about black women.
"It does represent me poorly ... if I had been more accurate, I should have put liberal Black women and I should have described it that way," Clagett said. "I was also guilty of not being even handed because the truth is the awful, white female liberals are just as bad. We're talking about a world view and the behaviors that go with it."
Pushkin and House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle called on Republican elected leaders in the state to speak out against Clagett’s remarks for Clagett to disavow his social media posts and withdraw as a candidate.
"These statements are abhorrent and should receive universal condemnation,” said Pushkin, D-Kanawha. “West Virginians deserve to know where their leaders stand when statements like these are made by someone seeking public office."
"I appreciate free speech and all that comes with it, but there is also a thing called hate speech, which I've never condoned from anyone,” said Hornbuckle, D-Cabell. “Hate speech leads to actions of hate that can't be tolerated by people charged with governing and creating the laws by which we live."
In a statement provided Tuesday, House Speaker Roger Hanshaw added to the chorus of critics of Clagett's social media posts.
"We don’t have a place in the Legislature for bigotry or hatred. I hope that if the voters of Berkeley County send Mr. Clagett to the House that he comes with a different attitude," said Hanshaw, R-Clay. "The culture that we seek to perpetuate in the House of Delegates, in the body that I’m responsible for providing some level of leadership for right now, doesn’t condone that kind of bigotry or hatred. We’re not going to tolerate it, and if the voters of Berkeley County choose to send that attitude to the House of Delegates, it will be a lonely place for him."
The 91st House District has played host to representatives with controversies involving social media posts. The winner of the 91st District seat in November will succeed Del. Ian Masters, R-Berkeley, who was appointed last year after the House adopted a resolution declaring the seat vacant after Joseph de Soto was unable to come to Charleston to be sworn in following an arrest and home confinement.
De Soto – who claimed to be a doctor, a combat veteran, a Green Beret, a college dean, and a CIA employee – won the November 2024 general election. But after a closed-door meeting of the House Republican caucus on Dec. 8, 2024, members agreed to move forward with expulsion of de Soto over allegedly false claims about his military service.
De Soto was arrested on Dec. 12, 2024, after a West Virginia State Police investigation into threats made by de Soto to another person regarding several lawmakers. He switched from Republican to Democrat the day before his arrest. During a January 2025 organizational session prior to the start of the 60-day regular session in February 2025, the House adopted House Resolution 4, declaring that de Soto’s 91st District seat vacant.
Since his initial arrest, a Berkeley County grand jury charged de Soto with unlicensed practice of medicine, misrepresentation of authorization to practice medicine, false indication or inducement of authorization to practice medicine, misrepresentation of past military status or military award, threats of terrorist acts and grossly inaccurate campaign finance statement. He is still awaiting trial.
Masters declined to run for a full two-year term for the 91st District. In June 2025, Masters was connected to antisemitic social media comments linked to an account under his name. That account also included profile imagery of runes and symbols often used by white nationalist groups. Masters claimed no connection to the comments. It was later claimed that the comments were made by someone else logging into his social media accounts from an old phone.
Clagett retired from the U.S. Navy as a captain in 2019 after 34 years of service in various medical roles. Clagett faces Democratic opponent David Michaels, a member of the Berkeley County Landmarks Commission. A request for comment was not returned Tuesday.