Patrick Martin (West Virginia)
2020 - Present
2028
4
Patrick Martin (Republican Party) is a member of the West Virginia State Senate, representing District 12. He assumed office on December 1, 2020. His current term ends on December 1, 2028.
On December 19, 2024, Senate president-elect Randy Smith (R) announced that Martin would serve as majority leader for the 2025 legislative session. Martin was the youngest person ever named majority leader. WV Metro News' Brad McIlhinny wrote, "While Smith will typically preside over floor sessions from a dais, the majority leader regularly makes procedural motions. The majority leader also plays a big role on the Senate’s leadership team and promotes the majority party’s agenda."[1] Martin began serving as Senate majority leader on January 8, 2025.[2]
Martin was born in 1993. He graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School in 2011.[3][4] He has been a small business owner, owning Superior Vending, LLC., and Leeson Properties, a real estate firm.[4][5]
Martin first ran for the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2016, defeating incumbent Peggy Donaldson Smith (D) 58% to 42%.[6] During his tenure in the House, Martin supported a bill to give $10 million in state funds to support the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.[7] In 2020, Martin was elected to the state Senate, defeating incumbent Douglas Facemire (D) 57% to 43%.[8] In the Senate, Martin introduced a bill that allowed parents and guardians to inspect their children's learning materials, such as curriculum and books. Governor Jim Justice (R) signed the bill into law on April 20, 2022.[9]
While serving as the majority leader, Martin introduced a bill that would have allowed only U.S. Citizens to vote in West Virginia elections.[10] He also sponsored a bill that required the phrase "In God We Trust" to be displayed in public schools. Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) signed the bill into law on April 12, 2025.[11]
Biography
Patrick Martin was born in 1993. He graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School in 2011.[3][4] He has worked as a small business owner, owning Superior Vending, LLC., and Leeson Properties, a real estate firm.[4][5]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Martin was assigned to the following committees:
- Confirmations Committee
- Senate Economic Development Committee, Vice Chair
- Energy, Industry and Mining Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Outdoor Recreation Committee
- Workforce Committee
2021-2022
Martin was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Economic Development Committee, Vice chair
- Energy, Industry and Mining Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Senate Government Organization Committee
- Workforce Committee
2019-2020
Martin was assigned to the following committees:
- House Banking and Insurance Committee
- Energy Committee
- Industry and Labor Committee, Vice-Chair
- Senior Citizen Issues Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Energy |
| • Government Organization |
| • Senior Citizen Issues |
| • Small Business, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Noteworthy legislation
- Senate Joint Resolution 8: Martin was a lead sponsor for Senate Joint Resolution 8, which would have allowed only U.S. Citizens to vote in West Virginia elections. The bill passed the Senate unanimously, but was not voted on in the House.[10]
Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for West Virginia State Senate District 12
Incumbent Patrick Martin won election in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 12 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Patrick Martin (R) | 100.0 | 37,167 |
| Total votes: 37,167 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 12
Incumbent Patrick Martin advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 12 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Martin | 100.0 | 11,744 |
| Total votes: 11,744 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Martin in this election.
Pledges
Martin signed the following pledges.
2020
See also: West Virginia State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for West Virginia State Senate District 12
Patrick Martin defeated incumbent Douglas Facemire in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 12 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Martin (R) | 56.9 | 26,176 |
 | Douglas Facemire (D) | 43.1 | 19,818 | |
| Total votes: 45,994 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 12
Incumbent Douglas Facemire advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 12 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Douglas Facemire | 100.0 | 11,948 |
| Total votes: 11,948 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 12
Patrick Martin defeated Derrick Love in the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 12 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Martin | 75.4 | 8,490 |
| Derrick Love | 24.6 | 2,774 | ||
| Total votes: 11,264 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Battleground election
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified 13 battleground races in the West Virginia State Senate 2020 elections, six of which were Democrat-held districts while the other seven were Republican-held districts. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
One of those elections was District 12 between Facemire and Martin. To read more about West Virginia's state Senate elections in 2020, click here.
2018
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 46
Incumbent Patrick Martin defeated Bob Stultz in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 46 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Martin (R) | 61.5 | 3,899 |
 | Bob Stultz (D) | 38.5 | 2,439 | |
| Total votes: 6,338 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 46
Bob Stultz advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 46 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Bob Stultz |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 46
Incumbent Patrick Martin advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 46 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Patrick Martin |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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2016
Elections for the West Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 10, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was January 30, 2016.
Patrick S. Martin defeated incumbent Peggy Donaldson Smith in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 46 general election.[12][13]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 46, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Patrick S. Martin |
58.05% | 4,564 | |
| Democratic | Peggy Donaldson Smith Incumbent | 41.95% | 3,298 | |
| Total Votes | 7,862 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent Peggy Donaldson Smith ran unopposed in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 46 Democratic primary.[14][15]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 46, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Peggy Donaldson Smith Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Patrick S. Martin defeated James Atchison in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 46 Republican primary.[14][15]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 46, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Patrick S. Martin |
67.13% | 1,952 | |
| Republican | James Atchison | 32.87% | 956 | |
| Total Votes | 2,908 | |||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Patrick Martin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Patrick Martin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Martin's Facebook page highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
If elected, I will work tirelessly to bring conservative values back to the Mountain State to ensure that generations to come are proud to live and work here. Like my Facebook page to learn more about me and stay up to date on my campaign! As a small business owner and a hard worker myself, I am a strong advocate for jobs. I believe in deregulating instead of regulating, and that a simplifying our tax system will help us grow in West Virginia. We need to help the "little guys" in business through tort reform, and make sure businesses are not being regulated to the point that they are unable to grow. I am also pro-second amendment. We should be protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty. Law abiding citizens are absolutely entitled to protect themselves and their loved ones. It is time to stop treating our citizens like criminals, and our criminals better than our veterans. As a Christian I am pro-life, because the bible says in Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you: I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Unborn children are not ours to throw away - they are God's children, and life begins at conception. Everyone should have the chance to have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I believe in random drug testing and rehabilitation for welfare recipients. If individuals test positive, we should be getting them rehabilitated and helping them gain control of their lives so they will be able to rejoin the West Virginia workforce. I do not agree with Common Core Standards. These standards are heavily based on testing students with standardized bubble tests. These tests neither push children to desire to learn, nor prove whether they actually know the material. Every child learns differently, and can show they learn in different ways. One test should not determine a student's capabilities. Common Core also keeps teachers from efficiently educating their students in fun and creative ways that make the children want to get up for school in the morning. Teachers are instead stuck in required standards and piles of paperwork that keep them from tending to the needs of their class. Every child learns in their own way, and Common Core is one size fits all.[16] |
” |
| —Patrick S. Martin[17] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of West Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 9. A special session began on September 30 and adjourned on October 8.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to March 11.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 12.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from February 10 to April 10.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 7.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 9 through March 9.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 through March 10.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from February 8 through April 9. The legislature held a special session from May 4 to June 26. The legislature held its second special session from August 1 to September 15.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the West Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 12.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate West Virginia State Senate District 12 |
Officeholder West Virginia State Senate District 12 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ WV Metro News, "Patrick Martin, 31, in line to be youngest West Virginia Senate majority leader," December 19, 2024
- ↑ News and Sentinel, “Martin in as West Virginia Senate Majority Leader, Takubo out" accessed January 8, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 West Virginia Legislature, "Patrick S. Martin (R - Lewis, 12)," accessed September 22, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ballot Ready, "Patrick S. Martin," accessed September 22, 2025
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dun and Bradstreet, "LEESON PROPERTIES, LLC," accessed September 23, 2025
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results, General Election - November 8, 2016," accessed September 23, 2025
- ↑ WCHS, "West Virginia lawmakers react to $10 million border wall bill," January 15, 2019
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "STATE SENATOR, 12th District," accessed September 23, 2025
- ↑ Legiscan, "West Virginia Senate Bill 704," accessed September 23, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Legiscan, "West Virginia Senate Joint Resolution 8," accessed September 23, 2025
- ↑ Legiscan, "West Virginia Senate Bill 280," accessed September 23, 2025
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed May 3, 2017
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," accessed January 30, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 10, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Facebook, "Patrick Martin For House of Delegates," accessed October 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Douglas Facemire (D) |
West Virginia State Senate District 12 2020-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 46 2016-2020 |
Succeeded by Adam Burkhammer (R) |
