WV Congressional Candidate Arrested During Sit‑In at Senator Capito’s Morgantown Office

Morgantown, WV-West Virginia Congressional candidate Ace Parsi was arrested Tuesday afternoon along with five faith leaders during a sit‑in at Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s Morgantown office. The group was calling on the senator to reverse federal cuts to SNAP and Medicaid, release a plan to support struggling West Virginians, and hold a public forum to answer constituent questions.
Parsi said he joined the demonstration because of his personal experience with safety‑net programs, noting that he previously relied on SNAP benefits and that his family received TANF assistance when he was a child. He said those experiences shape his campaign’s focus on affordability and working‑class issues.
According to reporting from West Virginia Watch and Mountain State Spotlight, the federal legislation referenced by demonstrators—known as the One Big Beautiful Bill—could remove SNAP benefits from an estimated 36,000 West Virginians and lead to more than 50,000 people losing Medicaid coverage, with an additional 60,000 expected to lose healthcare due to higher premiums.
Parsi described the sit‑in as a peaceful protest inspired by the tradition of civil‑rights demonstrations. Participants were arrested for trespassing after singing and refusing to leave the hallway outside Capito’s office. They are urging the senator to reverse the cuts or present an alternative plan to address rising costs for food, housing, healthcare, and utilities.
The group also asked Capito to hold an open public forum to discuss the legislation and her voting record. Organizers said the action was influenced by the Moral Monday Goes South movement and the Poor People’s Campaign, though the groups were not directly involved.
Senator Capito’s office has not issued a response to the sit‑in or the arrests.