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West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
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November 8, 2016 |
May 10, 2016 |
Evan Jenkins  |
Evan Jenkins |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 3rd Congressional District of West Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Evan Jenkins (R) defeated Matt Detch (D) and Zane Lawhorn (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent on May 10, 2016.[4]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. West Virginia utilizes a semi-closed primary system where parties may decide if unaffiliated voters can vote in their primaries.[5][6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Evan Jenkins (R), who was first elected in 2014.
West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District is located in the southern portion of the state and includes Boone, Cabell, Fayette, Greenbrier, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Summers, Wayne, Webster, and Wyoming counties.[7]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Evan Jenkins Incumbent |
67.9% | 140,741 | |
| Democratic | Matt Detch | 24% | 49,708 | |
| Libertarian | Zane Lawhorn | 8.1% | 16,883 | |
| Total Votes | 207,332 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
Candidates
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General election candidates: Evan Jenkins   Matt Detch Zane Lawhorn |
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Primary candidates:[8] |
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Democratic |
Republican |
District history
2014
The 3rd Congressional District of West Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Evan Jenkins (R) defeated 19-term incumbent Nick Rahall (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nick Rahall Incumbent | 44.6% | 62,688 | |
| Republican | Evan Jenkins |
55.4% | 77,713 | |
| Total Votes | 140,401 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
2012
The 3rd Congressional District of West Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Nick Rahall won re-election in the district.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nick Rahall Incumbent |
53.5% | 102,519 | |
| Republican | Rick Snuffer | 46.5% | 88,999 | |
| Total Votes | 191,518 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: West Virginia elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in West Virginia in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| January 30, 2016 | Ballot access | Partisan candidate filing deadline | |
| April 1, 2016 | Campaign finance | First primary report due | |
| April 29, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-primary report due | |
| May 10, 2016 | Election date | Primary election | |
| June 20, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-primary report due | |
| August 1, 2016 | Ballot access | Unaffiliated candidate filing deadline | |
| September 20, 2016 | Ballot access | Write-in candidate filing deadline | |
| September 30, 2016 | Campaign finance | First general report due | |
| October 28, 2016 | Campaign finance | Pre-general report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| December 19, 2016 | Campaign finance | Post-general report due | |
| March 31, 2017 | Campaign finance | Annual report due | |
| Sources: West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 Election, Dates and Deadlines," accessed June 14, 2015 West Virginia Secretary of State, "For Non-Party Affiliated Candidates," accessed June 14, 2015 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidates and Voters Guide to Write-in Filing and Voting Procedures," accessed June 14, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing By Office," accessed February 2, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia State Legislature, "WV Code § 3-4A-20," accessed June 30, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed June 30, 2025
- ↑ West Virginia Redistricting Map "Map" accessed July 24, 2012
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, West Virginia"
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
