# J.B. Akers

J.B. Akers is a Republican member of the West Virginia House for district 55.

- Party: Republican
- Seat: West Virginia House, district 55
- Serving since: 2024-01-09
- Current term: WV 2025–26 session
- Open States ID: ocd-person/33e56ab1-3106-45fa-a992-fab181983a99

Source: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/33e56ab1-3106-45fa-a992-fab181983a99 (America’s Political Pulse, Polarization Research Lab), data through 2026-10-27. Data under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Westwood, Sean J., and Yphtach Lelkes. 2024. America's Political Pulse [data set].

## Headline

63% of the 48 bills Akers sponsored got out of committee, in the top 5% of the West Virginia House.

## What Akers says (WV 2025–26 session)

50 classified statements: 50 posts on X. Each rate is the share of statements with the label, against the State House Republicans average; rank 1 is the highest rate.

| Label | Akers | State House Republicans average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal attacks | 4.0% | 2.9% | 193 of 791 |
| Policy criticism | 8.0% | 9.3% | 337 of 791 |
| Policy discussion | 12.0% | 31.9% | 682 of 791 |
| Bipartisanship | 4.0% | 1.8% | 101 of 791 |
| Credit claiming | 12.0% | 12.7% | 343 of 791 |
| Extreme labels | 0.0% | 1.4% | 618 of 791 |

Most discussed policy areas: Crime and Law Enforcement 50% (State House Republicans 11%); Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues 33% (State House Republicans 6.2%); Families 33% (State House Republicans 3.6%); Government Operations and Politics 17% (State House Republicans 18%); Health 17% (State House Republicans 10%).

## Ideology (CSIP)

CSIP score +0.22 (standard error 0.02), from 244 donors and 597 roll calls. Negative is left of 0, positive right of it, on one scale for every official. 28% of State House Republicans score lower.

## Votes (WV 2025–26 session)

1,396 roll calls. Attendance 99.4% (West Virginia House 95.6%). Party unity 86% (86%). 45 votes against the party majority.

Key votes:

- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · PASSAGE · SB 952 Transferring Court Security Fund · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/SB952/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB · HB 4538 Regarding fines in DOH work zones · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB4538/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB · HB 5462 Relating to Mine Subsidence · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5462/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · EFFECT Jul 01, 2026 · HB 5441 Reforming State Personnel System · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5441/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · PREVIOUS QUESTION · HB 5381 Relating to developing a comprehensive energy development policy and plan for the Office of Energy · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5381/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · EFFECT FROM PASSAGE · SB 1043 Supplemental appropriation to Department of Agriculture, fund 1401 · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/SB1043/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB · HB 4577 Relating to driver’s licenses · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB4577/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB · HB 5528 Relating to protection of personal residential information of certain public officials. · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5528/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · EFFECT FROM PASSAGE · HB 5693 Supplemental appropriation, Department of Tourism Revenue · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5693/
- 2026-03-14 · voted yea · PASSAGE-SENATE AMENDED HB · HB 5686 Relating to the timing of payments of annually required deposit into an eligible recipient’s Hope Scholarship account · pass · https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5686/

## Legislation (WV 2025–26 session)

Sponsored 48 bills: 48 reached committee, 30 passed one chamber, 17 passed both, 16 became law. Cosponsored 97. 62.5% of sponsored bills got out of committee (West Virginia House 22.2%; rank 3 of 84).

Recent sponsored bills:

- HB 5684: Relating to authorizing the Supreme Court of Appeals to create child protection commissioners (became law, 2026-06-29) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5684/
- HB 5649: Relating to confidentiality of certain records pertaining to adults and facility residents (passed one chamber, 2026-03-05) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5649/
- HB 5568: Relating to the payment of services rendered in proceedings under Chapter 49 (in committee, 2026-02-16) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5568/
- HB 5450: Relating to appeals of certification decisions by the Department of Homeland Security (in committee, 2026-02-11) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5450/
- HB 5449: Repealing the Addiction Treatment Pilot Program (in committee, 2026-02-25) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5449/
- HB 5446: Relating to the jurisdiction of the State Fire Marshal (in committee, 2026-02-11) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5446/
- HB 5451: Relating to survivor’s benefit payment for first responders (in committee, 2026-02-11) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5451/
- HB 5448: Revising the statute relating to the state emergency response commission meetings. (in committee, 2026-02-11) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5448/
- HB 5452: Relating to the standard of proof required for a final parole or probation revocation hearing. (in committee, 2026-02-11) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5452/
- HB 5445: Revising the statute authorizing the West Virginia Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to run background checks. (in committee, 2026-02-11) https://openstates.org/wv/bills/2026/HB5445/

## Campaign money (2026 cycle)

Itemized receipts $269.6K (State House Republicans median $33.7K). 90% of itemized individual money came from in state. Aggregates only; no individual donors.

## Recent statements

Newest first. Posts on X are listed by date and link only.

- 2026-10-07 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2107834868402901193
- 2026-09-15 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2099853757546660187
- 2026-08-14 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2088192084868018348
- 2026-08-14 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2088396573084430645
- 2026-08-14 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2088415101367787581
- 2026-08-13 · Post on X · labels: policy discussion, credit claiming · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2087712743814000787
- 2026-08-13 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2087716538220527999
- 2026-08-13 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2087982848430972940
- 2026-08-13 · Post on X · labels: policy discussion, credit claiming · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2087985390225330414
- 2026-08-13 · Post on X · https://x.com/therealjbakers/status/2087989828126228590

## Links

- Official site: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/House/lawmaker.cfm?member=Delegate%20Akers
- Campaign site: https://www.jbakers.com/
- X: https://x.com/therealjbakers
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/JB-Akers-for-WV-61556006790631/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realjbakers/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbakers

Full profile, with every chart and the methods: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/p/33e56ab1-3106-45fa-a992-fab181983a99