ABOUT TERRY BURNS

Terry Burns is a lifelong West Virginian running for the House of Delegates to bring common sense back to state government and stand up for the people of District 53. 

 

Born and raised in Kanawha County, Terry’s life began with hardship. His father was killed in a car accident when Terry was just an infant, and weeks later devastating flooding forced his family from their home. Raised by his mother and grandmother in a tight-knit community alongside Campbell’s Creek, Terry learned early the values that define West Virginia: faith in family, hard work, self-reliance, and never expecting the government to solve your problems.

 

Those lessons shaped a lifetime of work. Terry attended West Virginia State College and went on to serve nearly two decades with the West Virginia Division of Highways. During his time in state service, he worked directly inside government seeing firsthand how bureaucracy, waste, and bad decisions hold West Virginia back.

 

After retiring from public service, Terry continued working in engineering and consulting projects across West Virginia and the Southeast before returning home. Throughout his life, he has built or helped build multiple homes with his own hands.

 

Terry and his wife raised their daughter in Kanawha County. When their daughter faced serious medical challenges as a child, the public school system told the family it could not meet her needs. They made the difficult decision to move her into private education until she recovered — an experience that cemented his belief that parents, not bureaucrats, must have the freedom to choose what is best for their children. 

 

A lifelong hunter and outdoorsman, Terry embodies the culture and traditions of West Virginia. He believes deeply in protecting the Second Amendment, preserving rural communities, and defending the freedoms that generations of West Virginians fought to secure. 

 

Terry decided to run for office after watching his community decline. Local businesses closed. Jobs disappeared. Young families moved away. Entire areas of District 53 have been left behind while politicians in Charleston continue doing the same things and expecting different results. 

 

Having worked inside state government, Terry believes real reform must come from citizen leaders. He is running as the conservative choice for House District 53: pro-Trump, pro-coal, pro-energy, pro-law enforcement, and unapologetically committed to putting West Virginia families first.