When Putnam County Republicans Ron and Nancy Foster legally changed their names in 2012, it wasn't with the intention they would each run for public office one day.
Ron had always detested his middle name, Polk, and Nancy was never given one. Today, their drivers' licenses read Ronald Reagan Foster and Nancy Reagan Foster.
"I think Ronald Reagan changed America for the better, so it's a way to honor my wife and honor the president," the owner of Foster Supply in Scott Depot said. The unforgettable name also helps from a business perspective, he added.
Ron, 58, is running for a seat on the Putnam County Commission in the 2016 election, while Nancy, 43, is running for a seat in the state House of Delegates' 38th district, which includes parts of Kanawha and Putnam counties. Republican Patrick Lane occupies the seat.
A native of Mexico, Nancy emigrated to Southern California with her family as a child, where she grew up before moving to the area in 1993 after a job transfer with Brown & Root. While she doesn't have a college degree, her work experience dates back to age 15, when she took a job at an income tax office translating documents from Spanish and helping prepare tax returns.
"Times have changed - years ago, you were able to get by with your experience and what you brought to the table," she said - the faint tinge of her accent just barely detectable. "I feel privileged that I've had the opportunity for doors to be opened, and I took advantage of them."
Beaming with an energy that never seems to wane, she explained that her motivation to run for Legislature stems largely from West Virginia's declining population and job growth.
"Some [citizens] have lost a lot of hope, and I want to bring that back," she said. The House of Delegates "is the most effective seat" to pass legislation to help grow the economy, she said, and she believes the Legislature lacks perspective from conservative women.
Of the House of Delegates' 100 members, 19 are women. Thirteen of those women identify as Republican.
While the Fosters contend they don't necessarily agree with every decision Reagan made as president, many of their respective campaign platforms invoke ideas one might find in a Reaganomics handbook.
If elected, Nancy's priorities include abolishing the state's inventory tax, establishing single-member districts and reforming its prevailing wage rates to reflect the federal rates.
"It's really not fair to the citizens. If you take an inflated wage rate, then even doing a sidewalk or building a school is going to cost a whole lot more," she said. "If we can [stretch] those tax dollars out to do more projects, think about all the supporting businesses that will thrive, as well."
She also wants to establish term limits for state legislators to push out career politicians and bring in fresh, innovative policymakers.
In contrast, Reagan revealed in a 1987 interview that he wanted to start a movement after leaving office to repeal the constitutional amendment that limits presidents to two terms, claiming that citizens should have the right to vote for someone as often as they wish.
Ron is running for Putnam County Commissioner Joe Haynes' seat in the 2016 election. At least three other Putnam County residents have filed pre-candidacy papers for county commission.
A native of Philpot, Kentucky, Foster quoted his namesake in expressing his views.
"Government is not the solution - government is the problem," he said. "If we get government out of the way, people are very entrepreneurial."
In tandem with many of Reagan's less-government views, Ron's approach to Putnam County Commission and its 18 boards is similar.
He believes each board should be independently reviewed to ensure there's no overlap, and that inactive board members should be replaced.
"If there's a board we find in that review that doesn't really have a function - maybe it's something that was set up 40 years ago that was necessary at the time - then we would eliminate that board," he said. The majority of county board positions are appointed by commissioners and are unpaid.
Though their desired positions differ, it's clear the Fosters have great faith in the free market, as their names suggest.
"You watch the cartoons, and it's always the evil industry putting out black smoke, and Captain Planet's got to come in and save them," Ron said. "But [businesses] are the ones that do the hard work to get the services people need."
Reach Elaina Sauber at elaina.sauber@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-3051 or follow @ElainaSauber on Twitter.