West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 is represented by Doug Smith (R).
As of the 2020 Census, West Virginia state representatives represented an average of 17,950 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 18,598 residents.
About the office
Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. West Virginia legislators assume office the first day of December following the election.
Qualifications
Section 12 of Article 6 of the West Virginia Constitution states, "No person shall be a senator or delegate who has not for one year next preceding his election, been a resident within the district or county from which he is elected; and if a senator or delegate remove from the district or county for which he was elected, his seat shall be thereby vacated."[1]
Section 13 of Article 6 of the West Virginia Constitution states, "No person holding any other lucrative office or employment under this state, the United States, or any foreign government; no member of Congress; and no person who is sheriff, constable, or clerk of any court of record, shall be eligible to a seat in the Legislature."[2]
The West Virginia Secretary of State states that candidates must be 18 years of age and must be entitled to vote.[3]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[4] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $20,000/year | $75/day for members who commute daily. $175/day for members who do not commute daily. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the West Virginia State Legislature, the governor must select a replacement to fill the vacant seat.[5][6]
The executive committee of the political party that held the seat before the vacancy can submit a list of three candidates to the governor. The list must be submitted to the governor within 15 days of the vacancy. The governor must make a selection within five days of receiving the list. If the committee does not submit a list within 15 days, the governor must appoint someone of the same political party as the person who left office. The person that is selected to fill the vacancy serves the remainder of the unfilled term.[6]
See sources: West Virginia Const. Art. 4, Sec. 7 and West Virginia Code Ann. §3-10-5
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
West Virginia enacted district maps for the Senate and House of Delegates on October 22, 2021.[7] On September 30, 2021, the House Redistricting Committees released a single-member district map proposal for the West Virginia House of Delegates.[8] The proposal passed the House on October 13, 2021, in a 79-20 vote and passed the Senate on October 18, 2021, in a 28-5 vote.[9] On October 5, 2021, the Senate Redistricting Committee released five map proposals for West Virginia's State Senate districts.[10] On October 11, 2021, the Senate Redistricting Committee voted to recommend Sen. Charles S. Trump IV's (R) 8th proposed senate map to the full Senate.[11] The Senate approved a map that combined aspects of previous proposals in a 31-2 vote on October 19, 2021. The map, named after Sens. Trump, Tom Takubo (R), Eric Tarr (R) Patricia Rucker (R), and Robert Karnes (R) was approved by the House in a 72-19 vote. Both the House and Senate maps were signed into law by Gov. Jim Justice (R) on October 20, 2021.[12] These maps took effect for West Virginia's 2022 legislative elections.
On the Senate map, Sen. Trump said, “This amendment I believe reconciles and harmonizes some of the issues that were points of contention. This is the product of conversations and compromises over a long period of time by a great number of people.”[13]
“There is a faction within the Republican Party that is worried about their reelection when they shouldn’t be. They should worry about how the state works and how to make it work," said Sen. Mike Romano (D).[14]
How does redistricting in West Virginia work? In West Virginia, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are set by the West Virginia State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[15]
The West Virginia Constitution requires that state Senate districts be "compact, contiguous, and bounded by county lines where doing so is not otherwise unlawful." There are no such requirements in place for congressional or state House districts.[15]
West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
until November 30, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
starting December 1, 2022
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2024
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Incumbent Doug Smith defeated Neal Vestal in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Doug Smith (R)  | 81.2 | 5,958 |
 | Neal Vestal (D) | 18.8 | 1,378 | |
| Total votes: 7,336 | |||
| = 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 39
Neal Vestal advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Neal Vestal | 100.0 | 630 |
| Total votes: 630 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Incumbent Doug Smith advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Doug Smith | 100.0 | 2,224 |
| Total votes: 2,224 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2022
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Incumbent Doug Smith won election in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Doug Smith (R) | 100.0 | 3,992 |
| Total votes: 3,992 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Incumbent Doug Smith advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Doug Smith | 100.0 | 1,133 |
| Total votes: 1,133 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Dana Ferrell defeated David Holmes in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Dana Ferrell (R) | 67.5 | 5,292 |
| David Holmes (D) | 32.5 | 2,550 | ||
| Total votes: 7,842 | |||
| = 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 39
David Holmes advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Holmes | 100.0 | 1,431 | |
| Total votes: 1,431 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Dana Ferrell defeated incumbent T. Kevan Bartlett in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dana Ferrell | 57.4 | 1,303 |
 | T. Kevan Bartlett | 42.6 | 966 | |
| Total votes: 2,269 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ronnie Walls (R)
- Ryan Lemmon (R)
2018
General election
General election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Incumbent Sharon Lewis Malcolm defeated David Holmes and Dana Ferrell in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sharon Lewis Malcolm (R) | 42.2 | 2,436 |
| David Holmes (D) | 35.0 | 2,022 | ||
| Dana Ferrell (Independent) | 22.8 | 1,315 | |
| Total votes: 5,773 (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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jesse Johnson (Mountain Party)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
David Holmes defeated Alex Urban in the Democratic primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | David Holmes | 52.7 | 644 | |
| Alex Urban | 47.3 | 579 | ||
| Total votes: 1,223 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Incumbent Sharon Lewis Malcolm advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Sharon Lewis Malcolm |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Ronald Walters (R)
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.
Incumbent Ronald Walters defeated Wes Holden and Chris Reed in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 general election.[16][17]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 39, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Ronald Walters Incumbent |
49.90% | 3,520 | |
| Democratic | Wes Holden | 45.80% | 3,231 | |
| Mountain | Chris Reed | 4.30% | 303 | |
| Total Votes | 7,054 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
Wes Holden defeated Clint Casto and Shannon Hagerman in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 Democratic primary.[18][19]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 39, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Wes Holden |
51.24% | 930 | |
| Democratic | Clint Casto | 20.83% | 378 | |
| Democratic | Shannon Hagerman | 27.93% | 507 | |
| Total Votes | 1,815 | |||
Incumbent Ronald Walters ran unopposed in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 Republican primary.[18][19]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 39, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Ronald Walters Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the West Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 13, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 25, 2014. Incumbent Ronald Walters was unopposed in the Republican primary. Walters defeated Sally Shepherd (D) in the general election.[20]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ronald Walters Incumbent |
62.3% | 3,010 | |
| Democratic | Sally Shepherd | 37.7% | 1,823 | |
| Total Votes | 4,833 | |||
2012
Elections for the office of West Virginia House of Delegates consisted of a primary election on May 8, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. Republican incumbent Ron Walters defeated Democrat Clint Casto in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the primary elections.[21][22]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ron Walters Incumbent |
65% | 4,149 | |
| Democratic | Clint Casto | 35% | 2,230 | |
| Total Votes | 6,379 | |||
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 raised a total of $405,466. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $12,287 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $7,731 | 2 | $3,865 |
| 2022 | $7,718 | 1 | $7,718 |
| 2020 | $35,496 | 3 | $11,832 |
| 2018 | $42,581 | 4 | $10,645 |
| 2016 | $73,377 | 5 | $14,675 |
| 2014 | $38,606 | 2 | $19,303 |
| 2012 | $12,268 | 2 | $6,134 |
| 2010 | $52,620 | 3 | $17,540 |
| 2008 | $39,943 | 2 | $19,972 |
| 2006 | $23,017 | 2 | $11,509 |
| 2004 | $22,846 | 2 | $11,423 |
| 2002 | $21,441 | 2 | $10,721 |
| 2000 | $27,822 | 3 | $9,274 |
| Total | $405,466 | 33 | $12,287 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Constitution of West Virginia, "Article VI, Section 12," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Constitution of West Virginia, "Article VI, Section 13," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2024 Running for Office Guide," accessed May 27, 2025 (pages 16, 18)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "West Virginia Constitution," accessed February 9, 2021 (Section, Article 4, Section 7)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 West Virginia Code, "Article 10 Filling Vacancies: §3-10-5 Vacancies in State Legislature," accessed February 8, 2023
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Actions by the Governor," accessed October 25, 2021
- ↑ WSAZ, "First West Virginia redistricting maps released," September 30, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Actions by the Governor," accessed October 25, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Senate Select Committee on Redistricting," accessed October 7, 2021
- ↑ WV News, "(West Virginia) Senate Redistricting Committee selects proposed maps," October 11, 2021
- ↑ Metro News, "After days of trying, Senate overwhelmingly passes a map of its own districts," October 19, 2021
- ↑ The Center Square, "West Virginia Senate passes Senate redistricting bill," October 21, 2021
- ↑ 13 News, "West Virginia State Senate passes new district maps; House to return Wednesday," October 19, 2021
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 All About Redistricting, "West Virginia," accessed May 7, 2015
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," accessed January 30, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 10, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ Official general election results West Virginia Secretary of State, General Election Statewide Results, accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Official primary results West Virginia Secretary of State, Primary Election Statewide Results, accessed October 31, 2013
