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Snake Bite Sends West Virginia Political Candidate Doug Skaff To Hospital

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A candidate for West Virginia Secretary of State has been hospitalized Wednesday after being bitten by copperhead snakes, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Doug Skaff was hospitalized after copperhead snakes bit him on his left leg and right foot while he was removing election campaign signs, according to The AP. Passersby quickly called for medical assistance, and Skaff was reportedly transported to a hospital nearby. The political candidate expects to remain hospitalized for a few days as he recovers from the snake bites, the outlet reported.

“I just felt like something sharp and then I grabbed my sign and it knocked me back,” Skaff told MetroNews Talkline.

“I get bit right there on my leg and it shocks me,” Skaff added. “I look down and there are two copperhead snakes. There was a baby snake and a bigger snake. I may have stepped on a nest or something.”

He has undergone anti-venom treatments without success. “It’s more like a throbbing thing,” Skaff told MetroNews. “We’re going to do another round of his venom reversal medicine. I’m going to go down to ICU and do it again.”

Describing the pain, he said, “It hurt more than anything in my life.” Skaff, experienced in local political campaigns, typically removes his signs promptly after elections, according to Charleston Gazette-Mail. He was removing the signs with his 7-year-old son when he was bitten by the snake.

Skaff, who is running as a Republican for secretary of state, came in second to Kris Warner in Tuesday’s unofficial results, The AP reported. In August, he stepped down as the Democratic leader of the House of Delegates and resigned from his seat representing Kanawha County in September. Skaff declared his switch to the GOP and his run for secretary of state in October. (RELATED: Recently Hospitalized GOP Candidate Doug Burgum Spotted On Crutches Before Debate)

Skaff boasts a lengthy history of public service, having served in the House of Delegates from 2009 to 2014 and being re-elected in 2018. Alongside his political career, he is the president of HD Media, which owns the Charleston Gazette-Mail and several other newspapers throughout the state, according to The AP.

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