Riley Keaton

Nicholas Riley Keaton (born August 9, 1997) is an American politician who served as a Delegate to the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2020 to 2023. Keaton is a Republican.

Early life, education, and career Keaton was born in Spencer, West Virginia, to Tony and Tracey Keaton. He studied for his Bachelor of Economics degree at West Virginia University. As a teenager, Keaton was politically active. Before assuming office, Keaton was employed as the president of a limited liability company.

Elections 2016 In his first primary, Keaton narrowly lost to incumbent Rick Atkinson in a three-way race, receiving 37.36% of the vote and missing the nomination by only 28 votes.

2020 In the 2020 primary, Keaton defeated Atkinson with 52.01% of the vote to win the nomination.

In the general election, Keaton defeated Democrat Mark Pauley with 66.46% of the vote.

2022 In 2022, Keaton's district changed following the states redistricting. He was once again up against Rick Atkinson in the primary. On May 10, 2022, he went on to win the primary with 56% of the vote to Atkinson's 44%.

In the general election, Keaton defeated Democrat Chuck Conner with 30.1% of the vote.

Tenure Committee assignments Banking and Insurance Judiciary Small Business and Economic Development Technology & Infrastructure

Keaton is an assistant majority whip in the House of Delegates. and a 100% rating from the West Virginia Citizens Defense League, a regional gun rights organization.

Education Keaton opposed Senate Bill 680, a bill that would make it harder for school staff to be given raises, but the bill passed the House of Delegates despite some Republican opposition.

Freedom of speech Keaton was the lead sponsor of House Bill 2595, a bill that would prohibit so-called "divisive concepts" from being taught in West Virginia schools or promoted in other state-funded agencies. It targeted criticisms of American society, eliminating language that would refer to the US as a "fundamentally racist or sexist" country.

Worker's rights Keaton voted for SB 11, a bill that would make it more difficult for employees to strike.

Personal life Keaton is a Catholic.