West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District election (May 8, 2018 Republican primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16
- Early voting: Oct. 24 - Nov. 3
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
2020 →
← 2016
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| West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: January 27, 2018 |
| Primary: May 8, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Evan Jenkins (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voting in West Virginia |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Lean Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd West Virginia elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
State Del. Carol Miller won the May 8, 2018, Republican primary election with 23.8 percent of the vote to state Del. Rupie Phillips' 19.5 percent, state Del. Marty Gearheart's 18.2 percent, and former W.Va. Republican Party Chairman Conrad Lucas' 18.1 percent.[1]
At least three of the candidates who ran in the open Republican primary in West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District were aligned with President Trump (R). Trump carried the district by a 49 percent margin in the 2016 presidential election.[2]
Del. Carol Miller's (R) campaign website described her as "Pro-Life, Pro-Jobs, Pro-Coal, Pro-Second Amendment, and Pro-Trump."[3] Del. Marty Gearheart (R) said in an interview that "I believe that the election of President Trump has indicated here in West Virginia that we, in fact, like that [conservatism]. We want strong conservatives."[4] Former Republican Party of West Virginia Chairman Conrad Lucas (R) announced his run for the seat via an ad in which he said that "My plan is simple: Help President Trump drain the swamp, build the wall, fight terrorism, defend our Constitution and Second Amendment, protect the right to life and defund Planned Parenthood, get drugs out of our communities and jobs back in, and stand up for coal."[5]
As of March 8, 2018, Lucas and Miller received the bulk of endorsements. Lucas was endorsed by Dels. Zack Maynard (R), Jordan Hill (R), and Kayla Kessinger (R). Miller was endorsed by Dels. Joshua Higginbotham (R), Kelli Sobonya (R), and Chuck Romine (R).
Incumbent Evan Jenkins (R) announced in May 2017 that he would run for the U.S. Senate in 2018 rather than seeking re-election to the House.[6]
Seven candidates filed for the primary, including one former and three current members of the state House and the former chairman of the Republican Party of West Virginia.
Miller led the Republican field in fundraising as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2017, with $288,468 in receipts. Lucas posted the next highest totals, with $136,844 in receipts.[7]
| West Virginia voter? Dates you need to know. | |
|---|---|
| Primary election | May 8, 2018 |
| Candidate filing deadline | January 27, 2018 |
| Registration deadline | April 17, 2018[8] |
| Absentee application deadline | May 2, 2018[9] |
| General election | November 6, 2018 |
| Voting information | |
| Primary type | Semi-closed |
| Early voting deadline | May 5, 2018[10] |
| Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day. | |
For more on related elections, please see:
- West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District election (May 8, 2018 Democratic primary)
- West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2018
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2018
- Democratic Party primaries in West Virginia, 2018
- Republican Party primaries in West Virginia, 2018
Candidates and election results
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 3 on May 8, 2018.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 3
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Carol Miller | 23.8 | 8,923 |
 | Rupie Phillips  | 19.5 | 7,319 | |
 | Marty Gearheart | 18.2 | 6,814 | |
 | Conrad Lucas | 18.1 | 6,771 | |
 | Rick Snuffer | 10.6 | 3,987 | |
 | Ayne Amjad | 7.5 | 2,795 | |
 | Philip Payton | 2.3 | 861 | |
| Total votes: 37,470 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Candidates
Top candidates
The candidates featured below reported at least $100,000 in receipts as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2017.[7] They are presented in alphabetical order.
Conrad Lucas (R)
Conrad Lucas' experience includes service as the chair of the West Virginia Republican Party.[11]
"On these hills and up these hollers, my family's called West Virginia home for 13 generations," Lucas said in his campaign announcement video. "Both my grandfathers were coal miners and small-town grocers. My parents: Both educators. They all taught me the values of faith, family, and hard work the old-fashioned way. I don't have to tell you that our way of life is under attack. And my mom and dad said, 'If you see a problem, you fix it.' That's why I'm speaking up for us."[12]
Lucas' campaign website identified his policy priorities as jobs & the economy, the coal, gas, and agriculture industries, opposition to abortion, immigration, Obamacare repeal, firearms policy, terrorism, and religious liberty & family values.[12]
Carol Miller (R)
Carol Miller's experience includes service as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and work as a farmer and small business owner.[13]
"Times are tough in West Virginia," Miller said on her campaign website. "Jobs seem to grow scarcer by the day and families are struggling. Meanwhile, the politicians and lobbyists in Washington DC care more about taking away our guns than addressing the opioid epidemic facing our community. We need to send a representative to Congress who will fight for our West Virginia Values and support President Trump - and that's exactly why I'm running for Congress."[13]
Miller's campaign website identified her policy priorities as taxes, jobs & wages, and the opioid epidemic.[13]
List of all candidates
Republican primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Timeline
Endorsements
| Republican candidate endorsements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Date | Lucas | Miller |
| State figures | |||
| West Virginia Auditor John B. McCuskey (R)[14] | April 3, 2018 | ✔ | |
| West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt (R)[14] | April 3, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Del. Zack Maynard (R)[15] | February 19, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Del. Jordan Hill (R)[16] | February 12, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Del. Kayla Kessinger (R)[17] | February 8, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Del. Joshua Higginbotham (R)[18] | February 8, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Del. Kelli Sobonya (R)[19] | February 7, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Del. Chuck Romine (R)[20] | February 6, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Organizations | |||
| Republican Main Street Partnership[21] | April 26, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce[22] | April 17, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Family Policy Council[23] | April 10, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Susan B. Anthony List[24] | March 26, 2018 | ✔ | |
| Winning for Women[25] | March 22, 2018 | ✔ | |
Campaign finance
The table below contains data from FEC Quarterly April 2018 reports, including information on all receipts and disbursements between the beginning of the campaign cycle on January 1, 2017, and the March 31, 2018, reporting deadline. It includes only candidates who reported at least $10,000 in campaign contributions as of March 31, 2018.[26]
Campaign tactics and strategies
Campaign advertisements
Ayne Amjad
Support
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Marty Gearheart
Support
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Conrad Lucas
Support
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Rupie Phillips
Support
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Online presence
May 3, 2018
The following social media statistics were collected on May 3, 2018.
| Candidate | Followers | Likes | Comments on Last Ten Posts | Followers | Following | Tweets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas |
5,818 | 5,772 | 44 | 2,732 | 1,590 | 5,627 |
| Miller |
1,093 | 976 | 12 | 1,328 | 433 | 231 |
Tweets by Conrad Lucas Tweets by Carol Miller
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
| Race ratings: West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District election, 2018 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | October 9, 2018 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Republican | Lean Republican | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season. | |||||||||
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+23, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 23 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District the 26th most Republican nationally.[27]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.07. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.07 points toward that party.[28]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in West Virginia heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats and Republicans each held one U.S. Senate seat in West Virginia.
- Republicans held all three U.S. House seats in West Virginia.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Republicans held six of nine state executive positions, and Democrats held one. Two state executive positions were held by nonpartisan officials.
- The governor of West Virginia was Republican Jim Justice. Justice won office in 2016 as a member of the Democratic Party.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the West Virginia State Legislature. They had a 63-35 majority in the state House and a 22-12 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- West Virginia was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
2018 elections
- See also: West Virginia elections, 2018
West Virginia held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- The U.S. Senate seat held by Joe Manchin (D)
- All three U.S. House seats
- 17 of 34 state Senate seats
- All 100 state House seats
- Local judicial seats
- Local school board seats
Demographics
| Demographic data for West Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| West Virginia | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,841,053 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 24,038 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 93.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 0.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 1.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 19.2% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $41,751 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22.2% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in West Virginia. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2016, West Virginia's three largest cities were Charleston (pop. est. 49,138), Huntington (pop. est. 48,113), and Morgantown (pop. est. 30,855).[29]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in West Virginia from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the West Virginia Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in West Virginia every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), West Virginia 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Donald Trump |
68.6% |  Hillary Clinton |
26.5% | 42.1% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
62.3% | Barack Obama |
35.5% | 26.8% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
55.7% | Barack Obama |
42.6% | 13.1% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
56.1% | John Kerry |
43.2% | 12.9% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
51.9% | Al Gore |
45.6% | 6.3% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2014
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in West Virginia from 2000 to 2014. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), West Virginia 2000-2014 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Shelley Moore Capito |
62.1% | Natalie Tennant |
34.5% | 27.6% |
| 2012 | Joe Manchin III |
60.6% | John Raese |
36.5% | 24.1% |
| 2010 | Joe Manchin III |
53.5% | John Raese |
43.4% | 10.1% |
| 2008 | Jay Rockefeller |
63.7% | Matthew Wolfe |
36.3% | 27.4% |
| 2006 | Robert Byrd |
64.4% | John Raese |
33.7% | 30.7% |
| 2002 | Jay Rockefeller |
63.1% | Jay Wolfe |
36.9% | 26.2% |
| 2000 | Robert Byrd |
77.8% | David Gallaher |
20.2% | 57.6% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in West Virginia.
| Election results (Governor), West Virginia 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Jim Justice[30] |
49.1% | Bill Cole |
42.3% | 6.8% |
| 2012 | Earl Ray Tomblin |
50.5% | Bill Maloney |
45.7% | 4.8% |
| 2011 (special election) | Earl Ray Tomblin |
49.6% | Bill Maloney |
47.1% | 2.5% |
| 2008 | Joe Manchin III |
69.8% | Russell Weeks |
25.7% | 44.1% |
| 2004 | Joe Manchin III |
63.5% | Monty Warner |
34.0% | 29.5% |
| 2000 | Bob Wise |
50.1% | Cecil Underwood |
47.2% | 2.9% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent West Virginia in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, West Virginia 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 3 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+3 |
| 2014 | 3 |
100.0% | 0 |
0.0% | R+3 |
| 2012 | 2 |
66.7% | 1 |
33.3% | R+1 |
| 2010 | 2 |
66.7% | 1 |
33.3% | R+1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
33.3% | 2 |
66.7% | D+1 |
| 2006 | 1 |
33.3% | 2 |
66.7% | D+1 |
| 2004 | 1 |
33.3% | 2 |
66.7% | D+1 |
| 2002 | 1 |
33.3% | 2 |
66.7% | D+1 |
| 2000 | 1 |
33.3% | 2 |
66.7% | D+1 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
West Virginia Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • Seven years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D[31] | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, 2018
- United States House elections in West Virginia (May 8, 2018 Republican primaries)
- West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District election (May 8, 2018 Democratic primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ The New York Times, "West Virginia Primary Election Results," accessed May 25, 2018
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2018
- ↑ Elect Carol Miller, "Home," accessed February 7, 2018
- ↑ MetroNews, "Gearheart announces run for WV 3 congressional seat," January 4, 2018
- ↑ YouTube, "Lucas for Congress on November 9, 2017," accessed January 14, 2018
- ↑ Politico, "Evan Jenkins jumps into West Virginia Senate race," May 8, 2017
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Federal Election Commission, "Candidates for House of Representatives," accessed February 7, 2018
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Offices on the ballot in 2018," accessed January 15, 2018
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "What is the deadline for applying for an absentee ballot?" accessed January 15, 2018
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Early voting," accessed January 15, 2018
- ↑ Lucas for Congress, "About Conrad Lucas," accessed February 9, 2018
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lucas for Congress, "Home," accessed February 9, 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Elect Carol Miller, "Home," accessed February 9, 2018
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Herald-Dispatch, "Campaign Trails: Candidates garner additional endorsements," April 3, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Conrad Lucas for Congress," February 19, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Conrad Lucas for Congress," February 12, 2018
- ↑ '"Facebook, "Conrad Lucas for Congress," February 8, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Carol Miller," February 8, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Carol Miller," February 7, 2018
- ↑ Facebook, "Carol Miller," February 6, 2018
- ↑ Roll Call, "Republican Main Street Partnership Backs 10 Recruits," April 26, 2018
- ↑ The Herald-Dispatch, "Campaign Trails: Chamber issues endorsements in primary," April 17, 2018
- ↑ Family Policy Council of West Virginia, "Family Policy Council Endorses Conrad Lucas for Congress District #3," April 10, 2018
- ↑ Susan B. Anthony List, "Nat’l Pro-life Group Endorses Carol Miller in WV-03," March 26, 2018
- ↑ Winning for Women, "Winning For Women Endorses Carol Miller for Election in West Virginia’s 3rd District in Latest Round of Candidate Endorsements," March 22, 2018
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "West Virginia - House District 3," accessed May 3, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Quick Facts - West Virginia," accessed January 23, 2018
- ↑ Justice was elected as a Democrat in 2016 but subsequently reregistered as a Republican.
- ↑ Gov. Jim Justice switched his registration to Republican on August 4, 2017.
