Booth Goodwin
R. Booth Goodwin was a Democratic candidate for governor of West Virginia in 2016.[1]
Biography
Goodwin was previously the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia for five-and-a-half years. He resigned to return to private practice on December 28, 2015, shortly before announcing his run for governor.[2]
Including his time as a federal prosecutor, Goodwin worked in the Southern District office for 15 years.[2]
Mine safety case
In December 2015, Goodwin and his staff prosecuted a high-profile case against former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. They convicted him of conspiracy to violate mine safety standards, a misdemeanor, in a case involving the deaths of 29 of his employees in April 2010. Blankenship was found not guilty of other charges, including conspiracy to conceal mine safety violations and making false statements to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Massey stockholders.[2][3]
Goodwin brought the charges after an investigation into the 2010 incident, which involved an explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine.[2]
Elections
2016
Goodwin sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2016. He announced his entrance into the race on January 6, 2016. He faced state Senate Majority Leader Jeff Kessler and businessman Jim Justice in the Democratic primary. The election was to succeed Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D), who was barred from running due to term limits.[1][3]
Jim Justice defeated Booth Goodwin and Jeff Kessler in the Democratic primary for governor.
| Democratic primary for Governor, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Jim Justice |
51.37% | 132,704 |
| Booth Goodwin | 25.32% | 65,416 |
| Jeff Kessler | 23.31% | 60,230 |
| Total Votes (1,745 of 1,745 precincts reporting) | 258,350 | |
| Source: MetroNews | ||
Primary race background
- Main article: West Virginia races we're watching, 2016
The Democratic contest focused on multiple issues, including jobs, the state's budget, infrastructure, and drug abuse.
Goodwin's campaign website emphasized his record as a prosecutor and stated his support for improving communication, transportation, natural gas mining and drinking water infrastructure; expanding community programs for children; higher teacher pay and expectations; and investments in tourism, law enforcement, and senior citizen programs.[4] It also pointed to his time as the federal prosecutor in the trial stemming from one of the worst mine explosions in United States history: the 2010 explosion of West Virginia’s Upper Big Branch mine that killed 29 men.[5]
Kessler's campaign website emphasized his record as a senator and stated his support for improving transportation infrastructure, increasing workforce participation, combating drug abuse through treatment programs, and investment in the state's Future Fund.[6][3]
Justice attributed many of the state's issues—including the teacher shortage, drug abuse epidemic, and the budget crisis—to a lack of available jobs. Justice was a businessman and the owner of Greenbrier, a resort located in West Virginia, as of the election.[7]
A March 9, 2016, a poll released by West Virginia Veterans, a nonprofit group, found that Justice led Goodwin and Kessler with 36 percent support from 600 likely Democratic primary contest voters in West Virginia. Goodwin received 20 percent, and Kessler received 16 percent, with 28 percent undecided. The full poll can be found here.
Recent news
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See also
| West Virginia | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Daily Kos, "Morning digest: Now West Virginia Democrats get three gubernatorial candidates to choose from," January 7, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pamela Pritt, Register-Herald, "Booth Goodwin resigns from U.S. attorney post," December 28, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Karyn Bruggeman, National Journal, "Democrats face crowded primary in...West Virginia," January 5, 2016 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bruggeman" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Booth Goodwin, "Official campaign website," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ The New York Times, "No Survivors Found After West Virginia Mine Disaster," accessed February 11, 2016
- ↑ Jeff Kessler, "Issues," archived March 18, 2016
- ↑ Wall Street Journal, "Jim Justice, West Virginia Billionaire, Launches Campaign for Governor," accessed January 26, 2016
