Voters across the country express growing frustration with an entrenched political class. Many feel that career politicians prioritize their own longevity over the needs of their constituents. This dynamic often leads to stagnant policies and a government disconnected from its primary role of protecting individual rights.
Janet McNulty, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia, offers a direct response to this frustration. Her campaign functions as a solution to political stagnation by focusing heavily on enacting strict term limits and returning the government to its foundational principles. In this interview, we discuss her platform, her proposed constitutional amendments, and her vision for the 2026 primary election.
Q: You made term limits a central part of your campaign. Why do you believe a constitutional amendment limiting Senate terms to 12 years is necessary for a healthy government?
Janet McNulty: Government service was never meant to be a lifelong career where the same individual(s) remained in office, especially the same office, and rotted in it. Many of the same people currently serving within the U.S. Senate have been there for 30, 40, and in a few cases almost 50 years. There is no turnover. There are no new ideas. When you have the same people in office, and especially in the same political office, for decades, you end up with a government that is stuck in the past. And if you think about it, many of the people in office on all levels of government, but especially in the U.S. Senate and in the House of Representatives, are stuck in the 1970s or 1980s. They do not realize that the current global paradigm has shifted. They fail to realize that younger generations are getting locked out of economic opportunities, and as a result, are not marrying, are not having children, are losing hope for the future, and there is growing unrest. And, when you have the same people in office for decades, they do not listen to the citizenry, but to the donors that give them millions of dollars for their campaigns.
We have stagnation, and that stagnation is destroying the country.
This is why we need Term Limits. There has to be turnover. The American system of government was designed for citizen legislators and for the reins of power to never belong in the hands of a few, or in the same hands, but to be handed over to future generations as they mature and come of age. Twelve years in the U.S. Senate is two terms. That is more than enough time for an individual to serve and try to make any necessary changes for the benefit of future generations. Term limits prevent inertia. They also prevent individuals from rusting in a position and becoming corrupted by it. In short, you do your time, and you go home.
Q: Your platform focuses on the protection of private property and the Second Amendment. How do you plan to defend these individual rights against federal overreach?
Janet McNulty: Federal gun control laws need to be eliminated. The Second Amendment is clear that the “right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”. It’s time we uphold that. Governments should fear the people; people should never fear their government. A disarmed population is a controlled population. The purpose of the Second Amendment is to prevent that.
When it comes to private property, we need to stop the abuses of eminent domain. The U.S. Senate can pass legislation that strengthens private property rights, so that Americans are not forced off their land for the building of a data center, for instance.
Also, at the federal level, the provision in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that allows banks to steal a person’s money, also known as a bail-in, needs to be overturned. As of right now, banks can steal any money you have in the bank, and there is no recourse. There is nothing you can do about it. That has to be changed. Your money is your property. Your rights to it need to be protected.
Q: Many voters worry about the economy and the potential implementation of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). What is your strategy to strengthen our currency and protect financial privacy?
Janet McNulty: To prevent a central digital banking currency, legislation needs to be passed to undo the Genius Act and the Stablecoin Act that have been passed under President Trump’s second term. Those two pieces of legislation set the stage for the eventual implementation of a central bank digital currency. That door needs to be permanently closed. In addition, legislation needs to be passed that forever bans the creation of a central digital banking currency and bans current banks from debanking individuals. Since most transactions are digital, when a person is debanked, they are effectively locked out of our economic system. We also need to make sure that cash will always be used as a form of payment, so that people who want to remain free of a digital banking system, can do so.
However, we also need to stop the erosion of the value of the U.S. dollar. To do this, we need to end the current fiat economic system that we currently operate under and make the currency backed by something of value—gold, in this case. I propose that we use what is called goldbacks. They are printed currency with actual gold printed within it. A one-dollar bill, for instance, will have 1/1000 of an ounce of gold in it. Switching to goldbacks does two things: 1) it stabilizes the currency by backing it with gold, which will slow inflation over time and prevent the print and spend model our current federal government operates under; and 2) it will make it more difficult to counterfeit the currency. The new currency would be phased in. I propose a generational phasing where anyone over the age of 60 would stay in the current system, since that is where their assets are; people aged 35-60 can opt in to the new system, while also keeping the current system so as to preserve what assets they have; and those under the age of 35 would be switched, almost immediately, to the new system as they will adapt more easily to the new currency and are less likely to have assets.
The United States has changed the form of its currency before. I’m proposing we do it again, but not as abruptly as Richard Nixon did it when he pulled us off the gold standard.
Q: Border security remains a major issue for the electorate. What specific legislative actions will you advocate for in the Senate to secure the border?
Janet McNulty: The fact of the matter is, we have laws concerning immigration, but they are not consistently enforced. Depending on who the current president is, determines how and if immigration law is enforced. Former president Joe Biden relaxed immigration laws and allowed an untold number of people into the U.S., unvetted, and President Trump has sent the pendulum all the way to the other side by sending masked ICE agents into cities to arrest people in the streets. It’s very bi-polar.
So here is what needs to be done and what can be done at the U.S. Senate level:
- Go through current immigration law and remove radiancies, strengthen weaknesses, and streamline it so that it is consistent and easy to understand, and hold office holders, judges, and states responsible who refuse to enforce it.
- Push legislation that removes any benefits that are currently going to those who are in the country illegally. That means no more EBT, no more Section 8 housing, no more free education, and impose hefty fines on businesses that hire illegal immigrants. States who refuse to enforce federal immigration law will lose their federal subsidies. If we remove the incentives that cause people to come to the country illegally, they’ll quit coming.
- Ensure that the Border Patrol is funded and receives proper training.
- Change the law so that if a person is discovered living in the country illegally, they are immediately deported.
Q: Artificial intelligence is a rapidly developing issue that few candidates address directly. How do you view the proper role of government in managing or regulating AI technology?
Janet McNulty: Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing and changing the way our world operates. Here are things the U.S. Senate can do to address privacy and security concerns.
- There will have be legislation making it illegal for a person(s) or any entity to use AI to create what is known as a Deep Fake. A Deep Fake is an image, video, or audio that is created and used to make people believe that an individual, particularly a well-known individual, did something that they never actually did. Deep Fakes are used to spread lies and tarnish a person’s reputation. AI makes it easy for a person to produce a Deep Fake, so that needs to be addressed.
- The rights of individual states to regulate AI within their own borders must be protected. This is a states’ rights issue and President Trump’s executive order concerning this issue needs to be overturned.
- Legislation needs to be passed that ensures the protection of Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. This means that AI surveillance must be banned. Corporations must be barred from using AI to collect data on people. AI must not be used to track people’s activities or movements. And law enforcement should be barred from getting any data collected by corporations without a warrant.
- Measures need to be put in place to ensure that an AI surveillance state is NEVER established.
AI can be a useful tool that can improve people’s lives, but it should never be used to imprison them. We do not want a surveillance state. We do not want AI to be abused.
The push for term limits reflects a broader public desire for accountable representation. The policies discussed here highlight a clear focus on limiting federal power, securing the border, and protecting the constitutional rights of citizens. The modern electorate wants representatives who view public office as a public service rather than a lifelong career.
The outcome of the 2026 primary election will determine the direction of West Virginia's leadership. Candidates who commit to strict term limits and economic stability offer a distinct path forward for voters seeking structural changes in Washington. Strong leadership in the Senate will dictate how these national issues are handled in the coming years.
To learn more visit https://www.mcnultywv.com/