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WHEELING -- West Virginia state Sen. Bill Ihlenfeld could be headed back to his old job.
President Joe Biden has nominated Ihlenfeld, D-Ohio, to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia. He previously had served in that role from August 2010 to December 2016.
Since 2018, he has been a member of the West Virginia Senate, defeating incumbent Ryan Ferns to take the seat.
In a statement released on Twitter Tuesday night, Ihlenfeld said. "I'm humbled to have been nominated by President Biden to serve as United States Attorney. If confirmed, it will be an honor to join a tremendous team of career public servants dedicated to protecting the public."
Senate Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin, D-Greenbrier, said in a release Tuesday night that Ihlenfeld will continue to serve in the state Senate during his confirmation process in the United States Senate, which likely will take several months.
Baldwin said serving with Ihlenfeld has been a "distinct honor."
"Bill brings a sharp mind, a tender heart and a tenacious work ethic to bear on every task before him," Baldwin said. "While we are sad to lose him as a member of the West Virginia Senate, our loss is a gain for the state of West Virginia and the American people."
Baldwin added that, during Ihlenfeld's time in Charleston, he strongly supported law enforcement, advocated for additional safeguard for the state's children and championed common-sense protections like a West Virginia resident's right to receive the internet speed for which they pay.
"I'm confident he will be as tenacious in enforcing the law and seeking justice as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia," Baldwin said.
During his first tenure as U.S. Attorney, Ihlenfield honed in on drug crimes, disrupting trafficking networks from outside the state, prosecuting dealers and going after doctors and pharmacists involved in the improper prescribing of painkillers. He also went after white collar crimes and conducted several civil rights investigations.
"President Biden's nomination of Bill comes as no surprise in light of his exemplary performance as U.S. Attorney," state Senate Minority Whip Mike Woeffel, D-Cabell, said. "The state Senate will miss Bill's wit and intellect."
West Virginia senators serve four-year terms, so Ihlenfeld, a Wheeling Democrat, would have been up for re-election in 2022. Republicans currently hold 23 of the 34 seats in the state Senate.
Randolph J. Bernard is the current Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District, stepping in after former U.S. Attorney Bill Powell resigned in February.