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ELKINS -- U.S. Senatorial hopeful Evan Jenkins visited the Elkins area Monday along his campaign trail.
Jenkins, R-W.Va., currently serves as a congressman for the Third Congressional District.
He said he believes his deep-rooted West Virginia values will appeal to the voters in the Mountain State.
"My whole life has been dedicated to putting in service to my community and state, and (working to) take our West Virginia values to Washington (D.C.)," he said. "West Virginia, last year, during a good part of the year, had the second highest gross domestic product increase -- our economy in West Virginia is starting to turn around, we are starting to feel a sense of hope and opportunity. … I've been proud to be a part of that change in direction in our country, cutting taxes, reducing regulation, putting more money in people's pockets."
If elected to the U.S. Senate, Jenkins plans to continue to work with President Donald Trump and promote his agenda to lower taxes, increase job opportunity and increase boarder security.
"I have an outstanding working relationship with President Trump," Jenkins said. "I'm working with him each and every day in Congress; I'm the only candidate who has a working relationship with President Trump and a proven conservative voting record."
Jenkins said he is a proponent of infrastructure, hopes to increase broadband availability and is dedicated to addressing rural needs.
"My philosophy is 'As go the roads, so go the jobs,' so infrastructure is very important -- Corridor H is absolutely essential to improved transportation throughout this region," he said. "I helped pass the first fully-funded highway transportation bill a couple of years ago that is bringing $2.5 billion to West Virginia for roads and bridges to attempt to get our roads approved -- that's all across the state."
Jenkins continued, saying Trump has proposed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package.
"I understand the needs of rural West Virginia in infrastructure, not only as roads and bridges but also water, sewer and broadband," Jenkins said. "I am making sure the priorities of the federal government recognize the importance of rural America. West Virginia, Randolph County and this entire region is the best of who we are -- the scenic beauty is second to none (along with) tourism, outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing -- but we need basic infrastructure, because you can do business from here with the right infrastructure, with any place in the world."
Jenkins said he believes work and progress being made in West Virginia can potentially benefit other parts of the United States, including one particular program dedicated to serving newborns with drug addictions.
Lily's Place, a neonatal abstinence syndrome center in Huntington, provides observational, therapeutic and pharmacological care to infants suffering from prenatal drug exposure, according to its website.
"I was one of four people in Huntington that started Lily's Place," he said. "We have taken care of more than 200 precious, newborn babies that were drug-exposed during pregnancy. … The most victimized of all of the victims of the opioid crisis is a precious, newborn baby -- what a tragic way to have to start life, suffering the first days and weeks of life through withdrawal."
Jenkins explained that he took his experience with this facility and turned it into legislation, which has since been passed by Congress and signed by the president.
"(The legislation) will allow the Lily's Place model of care to be replicated in other parts of not only West Virginia but the country," he said. "While we have a terrible crisis, we also have some best-practice examples of how we can battle this crisis. … A West Virginia solution is now going to be replicated around the country -- that just shows we can, in the face of adversity, have something positive come out of it."
Prior to being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014, Jenkins served in the West Virginia Legislature for 18 years.
A Huntington native, Jenkins is a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Huntington and has served as a volunteer leader for Boy Scouts of America, youth soccer coach and president of Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Other Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat include Don Blankenship, Bo Copley, Patrick Morrisey, Jack Newbrough and Thomas "Tom" Willis, according to the West Virginia secretary of state's office. The seat is currently occupied by U.S. Sen. Joseph "Joe" Manchin III, D-W.Va., whose Democratic challenger for the primary is Paula Jean Swearingin.