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West Virginia state executive official elections, 2016

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West Virginia Executive Official Elections
Top Ballot
Governor • Attorney General • Treasurer
Down Ballot
Auditor • Agriculture Commissioner

The Mountain State
Key election dates
Filing deadline (major parties):
January 30, 2016
Primary date:
May 10, 2016
Filing deadline (third parties and independents):
August 1, 2016
Filing deadline (write-ins):
September 20, 2016
General election date:
November 8, 2016
Recount request deadline:
TBD
Inauguration:
January 16, 2017

Six state executive offices in West Virginia were up for election in 2016:

HIGHLIGHTS
  • In 2014, Republicans gained control of the West Virginia State Legislature for the first time since the 1930s, ending a 13-year Democratic trifecta.
  • Five of the six offices up for election were held by Democrats.
  • Republicans' recent success in state elections put incumbent Democrats at risk of losing their seats in 2016.
  • Incumbent Democrats Secretary of State Natalie Tennant and Agriculture Commissioner Walt Helmick were both unseated by their Republican opponents in the November general election. The auditor seat also changed party hands in the 2016 open election; the office had been controlled by Demcorats for 90 years.

    • Context of the 2016 elections

    Primary elections

    A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. West Virginia utilizes a hybrid primary system. Parties decide who may vote. Both the Democratic and Republican parties allow unaffiliated voters to vote in their primaries.[1]

    West Virginia's primary election took place on May 10, 2016.

    Party control in West Virginia

    Throughout the state's history, West Virginia voters have tended to elect Republicans to the White House and Democrats to the U.S. Senate and statewide office.[2] Prior to 2014, Democrats had held trifecta control of the state since 2001. But in 2014, Republicans gained control of West Virginia's House of Delegates and state Senate for the first time since the 1930s. West Virginia has a divided government.

    Of the six offices up for election in 2016, five were held by Democrats, four of whom ran for re-election. Given Republicans' recent success in state elections, Democrats were at risk of losing several state executive seats in 2016 despite incumbency advantages and the long tradition in West Virginia of Democrats holding statewide office.

    The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of West Virginia, the West Virginia State Senate and the West Virginia House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

    Partisan composition of West Virginia state government(1992-2013).PNG

    2016 elections

    Races we watched

    Key election dates
    Filing deadline (major parties):
    January 30, 2016
    Primary date:
    May 10, 2016
    Filing deadline (third parties and independents):
    August 1, 2016
    Filing deadline (write-ins):
    September 20, 2016
    General election date:
    November 8, 2016
    Recount request deadline:
    TBD
    Inauguration:
    January 16, 2017

    Governor

    West Virginia’s gubernatorial race was one of the most-watched gubernatorial contests on the November 2016 ballot. Incumbent Governor Earl Ray Tomblin (D) declined to run for re-election due to term limits. Businessman Jim Justice (D) won the general election, keeping the seat in Democratic hands.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • State Senate President Bill Cole was unopposed in the Republican primary contest.
  • Businessman Jim Justice defeated former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and state Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler in the Democratic primary contest.
  • Justice won the general election on November 8, 2016.
  • Going into the election, Democrats had held the governor's seat since 2000; if they had lost the seat in 2016, Republicans would have gained trifecta control of the state.

    • Auditor

    West Virginia held an election for auditor on November 8, 2016. State Rep. John B. McCuskey (R) won the general election, becoming the first Republican to win the seat since 1928.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • Former Auditor Glen Gainer (D) had held the post since 1993. He declined to seek re-election and resigned in May 2016 to pursue a job in the private sector.
  • Mary Ann Claytor won the Democratic primary and competed with state Rep. John B. McCuskey, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination, and Brenton Ricketts (Lib.) in the November 8 general election.
  • McCuskey won the general election on November 8, 2016.
  • West Virginians had not elected a Republican to the office of state auditor since 1928.

    • Attorney general

    West Virginia held an election for attorney general on November 8, 2016, with a primary on May 10. Incumbent Patrick Morrisey (R) won re-election to a second term.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • Incumbent Patrick Morrisey (R) and State Rep. Doug Reynolds (D) were both unopposed in their parties' primary contests and competed with Karl Kolenich (Lib.) and Mountain Party candidate Michael Sharley in the November 8 general election.
  • Morrisey was the first Republican elected to the office since 1928.
  • Given the recent trend of Republicans winning statewide elections, Democrats had a difficult battle to win back the attorney general seat in 2016.
  • Morrisey won the general election on November 8, 2016.

    • Elections by office

    Governor

    Attorney General

    Secretary of State

    Treasurer

    Auditor

    Agriculture Commissioner

    Voter registration

    For full information about voting in West Virginia, contact the state election agency.

    Registration

    To vote in West Virginia, you must be:[3]

    • a resident of West Virginia,
    • a United States citizen,
    • "17 years old and 18 before the next general election,"
    • not currently "under conviction, probation, or parole for treason, bribery in an election, or any felony," and
    • not "ruled mentally incompetent by a court of law."

    Online registration

    See also: Online voter registration

    West Virginia passed legislation in 2013 authorizing online voter registration, but a system has not yet been implemented.[4][5]


    Past elections

    Candidate ballot access
    Ballot Access Requirements Final.jpg
    Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

    2015

    There were no state executive elections in West Virginia in 2015.

    2014

    There were no state executive elections in West Virginia in 2014.

    2013

    There were no elections in West Virginia in 2013.

    2012

    Six state executive offices were up for election including governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor and agriculture commissioner.

    State profile

    Demographic data for West Virginia
     West VirginiaU.S.
    Total population:1,841,053316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):24,0383,531,905
    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.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in West Virginia

    West Virginia voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.


    More West Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    West Virginia government:

    Previous elections:

    Ballotpedia exclusives:

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Fair Vote, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed January 6, 2014
    2. ↑ Politico, "Top 10 governors races of 2016,"accessed January 14, 2016
    3. ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Voter FAQs," accessed January 22, 2015
    4. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Electronic (or Online) Voter Registration," accessed May 10, 2013
    5. ↑ Open States, "SB477," accessed June 10, 2014
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    2016 state executive official elections
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