Summary

About

Will is seeking to represent the 4th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, which includes the Town of Abingdon, Dickenson County, and parts of Washington, Russell, and Wise Counties. A native of Southwest Virginia, Will was born and raised in Bristol. After graduating from Virginia High School, Will earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of South Carolina. Will went on to study at Liberty University School of Law and earned his law degree.

An attorney, Will owns his own law practice, Wampler Law, PLC in Abingdon that provides a broad array of legal services to individuals and businesses. Prior to establishing his own law office, Will clerked for Virginia Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth McClanahan and worked for a public affairs and consulting firm, McGuireWoods Consulting, where he focused on education and workforce issues, public infrastructure, and economic development in Virginia.

Will’s professional experience includes the implementation of GO Virginia – an economic development initiative that is focused on the creation of higher-paying jobs in Southwest Virginia and other regions of the state. There are several innovative GO Virginia projects now underway in our region that include: a project to retain talented young people in the region and to provide pathways for these students to get high-paying jobs with employers in the region; a project in partnership with Virginia Tech to study new methods and ways to commercialize coal by-products; and a project at Mountain Empire Community College to utilize drone technologies to improve one of our oldest and strongest industries, agriculture.

Will is also proud of his past work supporting a non-profit called the The Literacy Lab. The Literacy Lab is an organization that places teams of tutors into Virginia’s high-need public school systems to ensure that our youngest students reach grade-level reading before exiting the 3rd grade. Not only does this effort improve the educational and economic outcomes of our young students, but it helps retain high-quality teachers in the school systems they serve.  

When Will is not pursuing work-related activities, he enjoys spending his time outdoors. Whether it’s chasing deer, turkey, or ducks here in Southwest Virginia or fly-fishing some of the premier trout waters in this part of the world – Will has always been an avid hunter and fisherman.

Above all, Will believes that service to others is one of the greatest callings in life, that is why he’s seeking to represent the people of the 4th House District.

Experience

Work Experience

• Attorney
  Wampler Law, PLC

Education

• J.D.
  Liberty University School of Law
• B.A., Political Science
  University of South Carolina

Contact

Email:

• Campaign – wamplerfordelegate@gmail.com

Offices

Campaign
P.O. Box 1683, Abingdon, VA 24212
Phone: 276-200-4007

Web

Campaign Site, Facebook, Instagram

Politics

Source: none

Recent Elections

2019

Finances

Source: Follow the Money

Issues

Civil Rights

Life

There is nothing else that happens after conception, but the creation of human life and it must be protected. I am pro-life. I will oppose abortion, taxpayer funding of abortion, and always support life as a legislator. 

Economy

Agriculture

Farming is one of Virginia’s largest industries – it employs over 330,000 people and has an economic impact of over $70 billion dollars annually. It is Southwest Virginia’s strongest industry by far. As your delegate, I will work support local farmers, work to ensure that the state and federal government stays off our family farms and will work to reduce regulations for our small and major producers.

Coal

Coal has long been the lifeblood of the Southwest Virginia economy.  I will always stand up for and protect the coal industry and our way of life here. I will continue to support the coalfield tax credit and oppose efforts by regulatory agencies to put our miners out of work. Coal is what produces 30% of our nation’s energy – it should not be a political football. 

I will help the coalfield region of the 4th House District find ways to put abandoned and reclaimed mine lands into productive reuse. This is a great opportunity, unique to the Appalachian region. 

Jobs and Economic Development

It is a priority of mine to help provide all people who want to work with employment opportunities so they can generate a stable income, live happily, and raise their families here. Let’s preserve what jobs we have, expand where we can, and aggressively recruit new industries and new jobs to our region. 

We have unique challenges that other regions do not, so we have to get creative in developing ways to attract new industries and new economic development prospects to the area. We must bring high-paying jobs back to Southwest Virginia.

Again, we have to focus on providing pathways for our young people, through internships, work-study programs, and certificate programs as means to find a fulfilling career. These can take place both in our high schools and at our community colleges. Students need the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on work experience prior to graduating.

Lastly, as a region, we must ensure that when a company wants to locate in Southwest Virginia, we have a commercial site or property ready for them to build on or settle into. I will work to build our portfolio of available sites and commercial properties. This includes the revitalization of aging assets into hubs of economic activity. 

Education

Our students deserve a high-quality education and if elected this will always be a top priority of mine. It is critical to our region to ensure our children have access to the best educational environments and opportunities. As a Delegate, I will work to ensure:

Our teachers are paid well
Our school infrastructure is maintained and enhanced when and where it’s needed
That the voices of our local teachers and school administrators are heard in Richmond. 
Pathways to high-paying jobs are also a priority of mine. Too often, students in Southwest Virginia have to leave our area for educational or employment opportunities. I will work to expand career and technical certificate programs in our high schools, so our students are ready to get a high-paying job after they graduate without incurring massive student loan debts.

We have several great higher-education institutions right here in Southwest Virginia. If you want an affordable, high-quality education here you should look into enrolling at one of our schools.

Nestled in Wise County, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise is a beacon of educational opportunity for the young people of Southwest Virginia. With great athletics and its robust course offerings, UVA-Wise has been ranked as one of the top liberal arts Colleges in the United States. 

If you visit Buchanan County, you will also find the Appalachian School of Law and the Appalachian College of Pharmacy.

Our area also has three excellent community colleges – Virginia Highlands Community College, Mountain Empire Community College, and Southwest Virginia Community College. 

Lastly, the region has three private colleges – Emory and Henry College, King University, and Lincoln Memorial University. All three are great schools that provide private options for young people here. 

Infrastructure

Rural Broadband Technologies

In the House of Delegates, I will deliver a new push to bring high-speed broadband and wireless technologies to our underserved communities. Like water and electricity, broadband is now an essential utility. I’ll work to ensure that our coalfield communities are connected and have access to broadband for our students, our families, our emergency services providers, and law enforcement.

Southwest Virginia is also home to many artisans, musicians, and craftsmen – they all deserve high-speed internet connectivity to help showcase their creativity and market their products.

Safety

The 2nd Amendment

I have been a hunter and gun owner my entire life and believe in this right absolutely. The 2nd Amendment grants American citizens the right to bear arms, which I believe is essential to protect ourselves, our property, and the other rights granted in the Constitution. I will always stand up for our gun rights and fight attempts to curtail or take this right away. 

Opioid Epidemic

Opioids and other forms of substance abuse have the ability to destroy communities, cripple families, and ruin lives. We must fight against the spread of these addictive drugs. Thanks to our strong Southwest Virginia legislators already in office, we are making progress to shrink the availability of these drugs and punish those who flood our communities with them. As your delegate, I will continue to work to bring state resources to bear on this issue. 

Opioid addiction creates a terrible cycle that we must break in order for our region to thrive.