2000 West Virginia Secretary of State election

2000 West Virginia Secretary of State election

← 1996 November 7, 2000 2004 →

Nominee Joe Manchin Poochie Myers Party Democratic Libertarian Popular vote 478,489 56,477 Percentage 89.44% 10.56%

Manchin:     80–90%     >90%

Secretary of State before election Ken Hechler Democratic Elected Secretary of State Joe Manchin Democratic

The 2000 West Virginia secretary of state election was held on November 7, 2000, to elect the secretary of state of West Virginia. Democratic incumbent Ken Hechler chose to unsuccessfully run for Representative rather than seek a fifth term. Primaries were held on May 9, 2000. Democratic nominee West Virginia state senator Joe Manchin faced only token opposition from Libertarian candidate Poochie Myers and won the election in a blowout, winning with nearly 90% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Joe Manchin, West Virginia state senator (1986–1996)
• Bobby Nelson, former mayor of Huntington (1986–1993)
• Mike Oliverio, West Virginia state senator (1994–2010)
• Charlotte Pritt, former West Virginia state senator (1988–1992)

Campaign

Manchin easily won the Democratic nomination, winning by over 22 percentage points against his closest opponent, Charlotte Pritt, who had previously defeated him in the 1996 Democratic primary for Governor of West Virginia.

Results

Democratic primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joe Manchin	141,839	51.08%
	Democratic	Charlotte Pritt	80,148	28.86%
	Democratic	Mike Oliverio	35,424	12.76%
	Democratic	Bobby Nelson	20,259	7.30%
Total votes			277,670	100.0%

Libertarian primary

Candidates

• Poochie Myers

Campaign

Myers won the Libertarian nomination unopposed.

Results

Libertarian primary results ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Libertarian	Poochie Myers	260	100.00%
Total votes			260	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Joe Manchin, West Virginia state senator (1986–1996) (Democratic)
• Poochie Myers (Libertarian)

Results

2000 West Virginia Secretary of State election results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Joe Manchin	478,489	89.44%	+19.99
	Libertarian	Poochie Myers	56,477	10.56%	N/A
Total votes			534,966	100.00%
	Democratic hold

References

1. "2000 SoS Pri.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved December 7, 2025.
2. "2000 Secretary of State General Election Results - West Virginia" . Retrieved December 7, 2025.

External links

Official campaign websites (archived)

• Joe Manchin (D) for West Virginia Secretary of State
• Charlotte Pritt (D) for West Virginia Secretary of State
• Mike Oliverio (D) for West Virginia Secretary of State