The 1912–13 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states. They were the last U.S. Senate elections before the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, establishing direct elections for all Senate seats. Senators had been primarily chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1912 and 1913, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. Some states elected their senators directly even before passage of Seventeenth Amendment. Oregon pioneered direct election and experimented with different measures over several years until it succeeded in 1907. Soon after, Nebraska followed suit and laid the foundation for other states to adopt measures reflecting the people's will. By 1912, as many as 29 states elected senators either as nominees of their party's primary or in conjunction with a general election.
From the time of the Great Depression through the 1990s, the politics of West Virginia were largely dominated by the Democratic Party. In the 2000 presidential election, George W. Bush claimed a surprise victory over Al Gore, with 52% of the vote; he won West Virginia again in 2004, with 56% of the vote. West Virginia is now a heavily Republican state, with John McCain winning the state in 2008, Mitt Romney in 2012 and Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
The 2008 United States elections were held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, during the war on terror and the onset of the Great Recession. It was a considered a Democratic wave election, with Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeating Senator John McCain of Arizona by a wide margin, and the Democrats bolstering their majorities in both chambers of Congress.
The 1892–93 United States Senate elections were held on various dates in various states, coinciding with former Democratic President Grover Cleveland's return to power. As these U.S. Senate elections were prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Senators were elected over a wide range of time throughout 1892 and 1893, and a seat may have been filled months late or remained vacant due to legislative deadlock. In these elections, terms were up for the senators in Class 1.
Robert White was an American lawyer and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of West Virginia. White served four consecutive terms as the Prosecuting Attorney for Hampshire County, West Virginia (1912–1928), and served one term in the West Virginia Senate (1931–1935), representing the state's 15th Senate district in the 40th and 41st Sessions of the West Virginia Legislature. During the 1933 legislative year, White served as the floor leader for the Democratic Party members of the West Virginia Senate.
Craig Philip Blair is an American politician and a Republican member of the West Virginia Senate representing District 15 since January 12, 2013. Blair served non-consecutively in the West Virginia Legislature from January 2003 until January 2011 in the West Virginia House of Delegates in the District 52 seat. Blair is also the father of former WV Delegate Saira Blair.
Robert D. Beach is an American politician and a Democratic member of the West Virginia State Senate representing District 13 since January 2011. Beach was also the Democratic nominee for West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture in 2020. Beach served consecutively in the West Virginia Legislature's House of Delegates from January 2001 until January 2011, and non-consecutively from his May 1998 appointment to fill the vacancy caused by the passing of his father, the late Delegate Robert C. Beach, until December 3, 1998, in the West Virginia House of Delegates within the 44 Delegate District.
Donald "Bud" Cook is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, who has represented the 50th District since 2023. Prior to redistricting, Cook represented the 49th District from 2017 to 2022.
Stephen Marshall Wilson is an American politician who served in the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 60th district from 2016 to 2020.
The 1956 United States Senate special election in West Virginia took place on November 6, 1956, to elect a U.S. Senator to complete the unexpired term of Senator Harley M. Kilgore, who died on February 28. 1956. State Tax Commissioner William Laird III was appointed to fill this seat by Governor William C. Marland to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held and assumed office on March 13, 1956.
Armistead Abraham "Cousin Abe" Lilly was an American lawyer, politician, and businessperson in the U.S. state of West Virginia. A Republican, Lilly served as the 16th Attorney General of West Virginia from March 4, 1913, until March 3, 1917.
The 2000 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2000. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. 18 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election, with 17 regular elections and with SD 11 holding an additional special election for Randy Schoonover, who resigned on September 7, 1999. The election took place concurrently with the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and gubernatorial elections. While Republican candidate for George W. Bush won the state in the presidential election, the Democratic Party won over 70% of the vote for state senate candidates and retained a supermajority in the state legislature's upper chamber.
The 1998 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 3, 1998. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. 18 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election, with SD 2 holding an additional special election for Larry Wiedebusch's seat, who died on October 25, 1997. Jeffrey V. Kessler was appointed to fill the seat and was re-elected by a wide margin. The election took place concurrently with the U.S. House elections. The Democratic Party won over 60% of the vote for state senate candidates and flipped 4 Republican seats, retaining a supermajority in the state legislature's upper chamber.
The 2002 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 5, 2002, to elect members of the 76th Legislature. 17 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. The election took place concurrently with the U.S. House elections. The Democratic Party won over 60% of the vote for state senate candidates, retaining a supermajority, but lost 4 seats to Republicans.
The 2006 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 7, 2006, to elect members to the 78th and 79th Legislature. 17 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. The election took place concurrently with the U.S. House and U.S. Senate elections. The Democratic Party won over 60% of the vote for state senate candidates and picked up 2 seats held by Republicans, retaining their supermajority. While President George W. Bush won the state in the previous presidential election, Democrats did well across the country and the state in a year described as a blue wave.
The 2008 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, to elect members to the 79th and 80th Legislatures; held concurrently with the presidential, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and gubernatorial elections. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. 17 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election. While Republican candidate for John McCain won the state in the presidential election by 13 points, the Democratic Party won over 60% of the vote for state senate and flipped 3 Republican seats, expanding the Democrats' supermajority.
The 2010 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect members to the 80th and 81st Legislatures; held concurrently with the U.S. House and U.S. Senate elections. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. 18 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election. 17 were regularly scheduled, with an additional special election in SD 10 after the death of Donald Caruth on May 1, 2010. John H. Shott was appointed to fill the seat, and Mark Wills was elected to finish the term. While Republicans made huge gains across the country, Democrats did well in the state senate, picking up two Republican seats.
The 2012 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect members to the 81st and 82nd Legislatures; held concurrently with the presidential, U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and gubernatorial elections. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. 17 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election. While Republican candidate for president Mitt Romney won the state in the presidential election by over 26 points, the Democratic Party won over 60% of the vote for state senate candidates, though they lost 3 seats. As of 2023, this is the last state senate election in which Democrats won a majority of seats.
The 2014 West Virginia Senate election took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2012, to elect members to the 82nd and 83rd Legislatures; held concurrently with the U.S. House, and U.S. Senate elections. State senate seats in West Virginia are staggered, with senators serving 4-year terms. 17 of the 34 state senate seats were up for election. The Republicans won in a landslide, flipping 8 Democratic seats and securing a majority in the chamber.
