Elías Coop-González | |
---|---|
Coop-Gonzalez at the 2024 Hazlitt Summit | |
Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office December 7, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Cody Thompson |
Constituency | 67th district |
Personal details | |
Born | Elías Gorden Coop-González (2002-05-02) May 2, 2002 (age 22) Sololá, Guatemala |
Nationality |
|
Political party | Republican |
Residence(s) | Elkins, West Virginia, U.S. |
Education | Tygart Valley Christian Academy |
Alma mater | Liberty University (BS) (enrolled) |
Website | Official website |
Elías Gorden Coop-González (/kuːp/; KuP Gon-Sales; born May 2, 2002) is an American politician. He currently serves as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates for District 67, which encompasses Randolph County and Pendleton County, for the Republican Party. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. Coop-González is among the youngest state legislators in the United States, taking office at 20. He currently sits on four committees: Banking and Insurance, Energy and Manufacturing, Political Subdivisions, and Veterans Affairs/Homeland Security.
Early life and education
Coop-González was born May 2, 2002 in Guatemala to an American father and a Guatemalan mother. He is the second of three sons raised in Panajachel. After his parents' divorce, he moved to the United States at age 12. He grew up in Elkins, West Virginia and in 2020 was graduated as valedictorian from Tygart Valley Christian Academy. He is currently pursuing a degree in business administration and economics from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Career
Before running for office, Coop-González interned for congressman Alex Mooney and worked for the Leadership Institute, a co-educational non-profit in Arlington, Virginia. During Donald Trump's re-election campaign, he was the youngest member of the West Virginia delegation of the Republican National Convention.
In the 2022 West Virginia House of Delegates election, Coop-González defeated the incumbent, civics teacher Cody Thompson (D). His current term ends on December 1, 2024.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|---|
Republican | Elías Coop-González | 3490 | 60.29 |
Democratic | Cody Thompson | 2299 | 39.71 |
References
- "Coop-González, 20, set to be sworn in as a delegate this week". theintermountain.com. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- https://www.wvlegislature.gov/House/lawmaker.cfm?member=Delegate%20Coop-Gonzalez
- ^ "Elías Coop-González". Ballotpedia. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- 02:04 to 02:20 mins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v18oVwzy3rc
- "At 20, Liberty student becomes youngest delegate in West Virginia House » Liberty News". Liberty News. January 20, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- "Elias Coop-Gonzáles". Conservation West Virginia. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- "District 067 – Elías Coop-González". West Virginia Republican Leadership Committee. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- "GOP increases supermajorities in West Virginia House, Senate". AP NEWS. November 9, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
- Living people
- 2002 births
- Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates
- American politicians of Guatemalan descent
- Guatemalan emigrants to the United States
- Hispanic and Latino American state legislators
- Latino conservatism in the United States
- People from Elkins, West Virginia
- People from Sololá Department
- 21st-century members of the West Virginia Legislature