Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
West Virginia Attorney General election, 2012
2016 →
|
| West Virginia Attorney General |
|---|
 |
May 8, 2012 |
November 6, 2012 |
| State executive official elections in 2012 |
The West Virginia attorney general election took place November 6, 2012. The primary took place on May 8, 2012.
Incumbent Darrell McGraw (D) was defeated by Patrick Morrisey (R) in the election for the seat he had held since 1992.
Candidates
Democratic candidate
- Incumbent Darrell McGraw was first elected to the office of AG in 1992.
Republican candidate
- Patrick Morrisey was a health-care attorney who aimed to apply his 20 years of legal experience to an office he described as affected by corruption and outdated leadership practices. He based his campaign on McGraw's handling of the President's health reform law, which he argued should be challenged for "saddling West Virginians with new financial burdens, rising health care costs and unconstitutional mandates." Morrisey aligned with GOP positions in stating: "My position on Obamacare is clear: let's repeal it and start over."[1]
Debates
In mid-February, Morrisey challenged McGraw to a debate tour across all 55 counties of West Virginia. He expressed willingness to work with McGraw on organizing the debates, emphasizing that "the point is that no county will be left behind during this campaign."
In response to Morrisey's repeated requests for debates before the general election, McGraw issued press releases declining, citing his belief that the attorney general’s role as a law enforcement official should remain separate from political activities. He stated, "Any debate would revolve around law enforcement, and I believe law enforcement and politics should not be mixed; I don't think it's good policy to mix law enforcement and politics."[2]
During his 2008 campaign, McGraw faced criticism for declining an invitation from his Republican opponent, Dan Greear, to participate in a public debate.[3]
Results
General Election
| Attorney General of West Virginia General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Darrell McGraw Incumbent | 48.8% | 267,135 | |
| Republican |  Patrick Morrisey |
51.2% | 280,695 | |
| Total Votes | 547,830 | |||
| Election results West Virginia Secretary of State Election Results Center | ||||
Primary Election
Incumbent Darrell McGraw (D) and Patrick Morrisey (R) filed for the attorney general election and ran unopposed in their respective parties' primaries on May 8, 2012, earning automatic advancement to the general election.
Campaign finance
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Due dates for reports |
| 2 Candidates |
Due dates for reports
The Secretary of State administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.
|
For the primary election:
|
For the general election:
|
The year-end annual report for 2012 was due by April 5, 2013.
Candidates
Democrats
Darrell V. McGraw, Jr.
| Darrell V. McGraw, Jr. Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Cash Contributions | In-kind Contributions | (Expenditures) | Cash On Hand | |||
| Primary - First Report[4] | April 6, 2012 | $0.00 | $83,080.00 | $1,000.00 | $(4,452.88) | $78,627.12 | |||
| Pre-Primary Report[5] | April 27, 2012 | $78,627.12 | $9,520.00 | $225.29 | $(6,186.86) | $86,413.14 | |||
| Post-Primary Report[6] | June 19, 2012 | $86,413.14 | $10,250.00 | $0.00 | $(477.28) | $96,185.86 | |||
Republicans
Patrick Morrisey
| Patrick Morrisey Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Primary First | April 6 2012 | $0.00 | $151,627.43 | $(26,331.90) | $144,421.84 | ||||
| Pre-Primary | April 27 2012 | $144,421.84 | $21,119.90 | $(35,768.80) | $156,111.65 | ||||
| Post-Primary | June 19 2012 | $156,111.65 | $79,735.31 | $(22,966.84) | $242,579.87 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $252,482.64 | $(85,067.54) | ||||||||
Campaign Sites/Media
Campaign sites
Democrats
Republicans
Key Dates
Key dates
- Administrative deadlines were at close of business (5:00) unless otherwise noted.
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan. 9 - Jan. 28 | Candidate filing period |
| Apr. 18 | Voter registration for primary election |
| May 8 | Primary election |
| Oct. 24 | Voter registration for general election |
| Nov. 6 | General election |
Race ratings
Race ratings
In the October 2012 race ratings conducted by Governing, the race for Attorney General of West Virginia shifted from a toss-up to leaning Democratic.[7][7]
Race tracking
| 2012 Race Rankings - West Virginia Attorney General | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race Tracker | Race Rating | |||
| Governing[7] | Leans Democratic | |||
News
- By the numbers: Comparing West Virginia's attorney general candidates July 13
- State executive primary preview: Five of West Virginia's six incumbents seek re-election
- Field is set for West Virginia's state executive primary elections
- West Virginia Attorney General makes plan for his state's share of the foreclosure settlement
- West Virginia Supreme Court to rule on Ag Commissioner candidate qualifications
See also
Articles
- By the numbers: Comparing West Virginia's attorney general candidates July 13
- Field is set for West Virginia's state executive primary elections
- State executive primary preview: Five of West Virginia's six incumbents seek re-election
- West Virginia Attorney General makes plan for his state's share of the foreclosure settlement
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ News-Register, "Patrick Morrisey seeks attorney general post," March 19, 2012
- ↑ The Record, "McGraw again says he won't debate Morrisey," June 28, 2012
- ↑ Charleston Daily Mail, "Candidate challenges opponent to 55 dates," February 21, 2012
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Primary - First report," accessed April 9, 2012
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Pre-Primary Report," April 27, 2012
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Pre-Primary Report," June 19, 2012
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Governing, "Attorney General Races: Democrats' Odds Improving" accessed Octobet 19, 2012
 |
State of West Virginia Charleston (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
