2016 West Virginia gubernatorial election
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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The 2016 West Virginia gubernatorial election will take place on November 8, 2016, to elect the Governor of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The primaries were held on May 10.
Incumbent Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin is term-limited and cannot run for re-election to a third term in office.
Background
In November 2010, Democratic Governor Joe Manchin resigned after being elected to the U.S. Senate. Earl Ray Tomblin, the President of the West Virginia Senate, became Acting Governor and won a special election held in October 2011. He was re-elected to a full term in the regularly-scheduled 2012 election. Tomblin is ineligible to run for re-election as the Constitution of West Virginia limits Governors to two consecutive terms, regardless of whether they are full or partial terms. However, Governors are re-eligible after four years out of office.[1][2]
After publicly speculating he would run for his former office, Manchin was considered a heavy favorite in the 2016 race. However, he announced on April 19, 2015, that he would be remaining in the Senate instead.[3]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Booth Goodwin, former United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia[4]
- Jim Justice, businessman[5]
- Jeff Kessler, Minority Leader of the West Virginia Senate, former President of the West Virginia Senate and candidate for Governor in 2011[6]
Declined
- Glen Gainer III, West Virginia State Auditor and nominee for West Virginia's 1st congressional district in 2014[7][8]
- Joe Manchin, U.S. Senator and former Governor[9][10][11][12]
- John Perdue, West Virginia State Treasurer and candidate for Governor in 2011[13][14]
- Natalie Tennant, West Virginia Secretary of State, candidate for Governor in 2011 and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014 (running for re-election)[1][15]
- Mike Green, former State Senator[16]
- Carte Goodwin, former U.S. Senator[16]
- Walt Helmick, West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture[7]
- Doug Reynolds, State Delegate[16]
- Doug Skaff, former State Delegate[16]
- Rick Thompson, West Virginia Secretary of Veterans Assistance, former Speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates and candidate for Governor in 2011[1]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jim Justice |
Booth Goodwin |
Jeff Kessler |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MetroNews | April 22–May 2, 2016 | 315 | ± 4.0% | 32% | 27% | 23% | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling | April 29–May 1, 2016 | 637 | ± 3.9% | 37% | 23% | 19% | 21% |
| West Virginia Veterans | March 2–6, 2016 | 600 | ± 3.9% | 36% | 20% | 16% | 28% |
| MetroNews | February 11–16, 2016 | 208 | ± 4.9% | 32% | 25% | 23% | 21% |
| Global Strategy Group (D-Jim Justice) | December 1–3, 2015 | 350 | ± 5.2% | 39% | 13% | 19% | 21% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Justice | 132,704 | 51.37% | |
| Democratic | Booth Goodwin | 65,416 | 25.32% | |
| Democratic | Jeff Kessler | 60,230 | 23.31% | |
| Total votes | 258,350 | 100 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
Did Not File
- Andrew Utterback, college student and candidate for Mayor of Pineville in 2014[19]
- Edwin Vanover, former Bramwell Police Chief and Democratic candidate for House of Delegates in 2012[19]
Declined
- Evan Jenkins, U.S. Representative[16][20]
- David McKinley, U.S. Representative and candidate for Governor in 1996 (running for re-election)[21]
- Patrick Morrisey, Attorney General of West Virginia (running for re-election)[22][23][24]
- Mary Lou Retton, Olympic gymnast[16]
- Erikka Storch, State Delegate[16]
Polling
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Hypothetical polling | ||||||||||||||||
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Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Cole | 161,127 | 100 | |
| Total votes | 161,127 | 100 | ||
Mountain Party
Candidates
Declared
- Charlotte Pritt, former Democratic State Delegate, former Democratic State Senator, write-in candidate for Governor in 1992 and Democratic nominee for Governor in 1996[25]
Libertarian Party
Candidates
Declared
- David Moran, retired engineer and farmer[26]
General election
Polling
 | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (August 2016) |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Jim Justice (D) |
Bill Cole (R) |
Charlotte Pritt (M) |
David Moran (L) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R.L. Repass & Partners/MetroNews | August 9–28, 2016 | 435 | ± 4.7% | 46% | 32% | 8% | 5% | 9% |
| Global Strategy Group | August 1–3, 2016 | 419 | ± 4.8% | 47% | 37% | — | — | 15% |
| Public Policy Polling | April 29–May 1, 2016 | 1,201 | ± 2.8% | 41% | 35% | — | — | 24% |
| MetroNews | April 22–May 2, 2016 | 596 | ± 4.0% | 52% | 34% | — | — | 14% |
| Orion Strategies | February 20–21, 2016 | 306 | ± 5.6% | 37% | 33% | — | — | 30% |
| MetroNews | February 11–16, 2016 | 411 | ± 4.9% | 49% | 39% | — | — | 12% |
| Orion Strategies | August 24–25, 2015 | 406 | ± 4.9% | 34% | 31% | — | — | 35% |
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References
- ^ a b c Miller, Tom. "2016 race for governor could be crowded". The Lincoln Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
- ^ King, Joselyn (May 18, 2011). "Tomblin, Maloney win nominations". Wetzel Chronicle. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
- ^ Ramsey, Pam (April 19, 2015). "Manchin says he'll stay in Senate, forgoes governor bid". The Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ "Ex-US attorney Goodwin files for W.Va. governor race". The Journal. January 4, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ Eyre, Eric (May 11, 2015). "Greenbrier owner Jim Justice enters governor's race". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Joel (March 19, 2015). "Kessler says he'll run for governor in 2016". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Sunday Sit-Down: West Virginia GOP Chairman Conrad Lucas". The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register. November 16, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
- ^ Jenkins, Jeff (June 15, 2015). "Auditor Gainer planning re-election bid in 2016". West Virginia MetroNews. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ "GOP Senate may run purple". Politico. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
- ^ "Manchin, 50-50 on Possible Return Run for Governor". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ Raju, Manu (April 14, 2015). "Joe Manchin signals stronger interest in West Virginia governor run". Politico. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ^ Eric Bradner (April 19, 2015). "Joe Manchin picks Senate over governor's bid". CNN. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ Aaron Blake (January 23, 2015). "The 5 best governors races in the country". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
- ^ Jonathan Mattise (January 23, 2015). "Though @WaPost says otherwise, WV Treasurer John Perdue's office says he's not running for governor". Twitter. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ^ "W.Va. Secretary of State Files Early Re-Election Paperwork". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "West Virginia Undergoing Political, Generational Change". Roll Call. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Official 2016 Primary Election Results". West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Shauna (June 2, 2015). "Republican Bill Cole launches 2016 gubernatorial campaign". West Virginia MetroNews. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Deitz, Leah (May 15, 2015). "Jim Justice vying for Governor's Office". Mountain Messenger. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ Ebert, Joel (June 17, 2015). "Cole endorsed by Congressman Jenkins". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ Hicks, Ian (June 1, 2015). "McKinley Won't Run for Governor". The Intelligencer & Wheeling News Register. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Johnson, Shauna (March 19, 2015). "Morrisey says he is considering a possible run for governor in 2016". West Virginia MetroNews. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
- ^ "Morrisey has $850K for possible governor bid". The Journal. April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- ^ Jenkins, Jeff (June 16, 2015). "Morrisey opts to seek reelection instead of governor's office". West Virginia MetroNews. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ^ "Mountain Party chooses Pritt as gubernatorial candidate". The Charleston Gazette. July 16, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Staff. "WV Libertarians announce candidates for statewide offices". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
External links
- Official campaign websites