2012 West Virginia elections

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2012 West Virginia elections
Flag of West Virginia.svg
  2010 November 6, 2012 2014  
Registered1,246,559
Turnout55.0% [1] (Increase2.svg 11.0%)

West Virginia's 2012 general elections were held on November 6, 2012. Primary elections were held on May 8, 2012.

Contents

Federal

Senate

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, was re-elected, defeating token opposition in the primary, and then perennial candidate John Raese, a businessman and four-time Republican nominee for the Senate (including a challenge to Manchin in 2010), with 61% of the vote. [2]

House of Representatives

1st congressional district

Republican incumbent David McKinley, who has represented the 1st district since 2011, easily won re-election, defeating Sue Thorn, a "community organizer", receiving 62% of the vote.

2nd congressional district

Republican incumbent Shelley Moore Capito, who has represented the 2nd district since 2001, easily won re-election. [3] She defeated Michael Davis and state Delegate Jonathan Miller in the Republican primary. [4] and then Howard Swint, a union official, receiving 70% of the vote. [5]

3rd congressional district

Democratic incumbent Nick Rahall, who has represented the 3rd district since 1993 (and previously represented the 4th district from 1977 to 1993) won reelection in a close race (by the standard of that district, where many counties have not elected a Republican to any office in over 80 years), defeating State Delegate Rick Snuffer, who unsuccessfully challenged Rahall as the Republican nominee in 2004, with only 54% of the vote. [5]

State

Constitutional officers

Governor

Incumbent Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, who has held the position since 2010, won a full term in his own right, defeating Bill Maloney, a businessman who ran as the Republican nominee in the aforementioned 2011 special election. and two minor party candidates, winning 50% of the vote to 46%, with the minor party candidates receiving the remainder.

The results give automatic ballot access for the next four years to both the Mountain Party, (a "green" party); and the Libertarian Party, as ballot access is based on getting 1% of the vote for governor.

Attorney General

2012 West Virginia Attorney General election
Flag of West Virginia.svg
  2008 November 6, 2012 2016  
  Patrick Morrisey by Gage Skidmore.jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Patrick Morrisey Darrell McGraw
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote329,854313,830
Percentage51.24%48.76%

2012 WV Attorney General election.svg
Morrisey:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
McGraw:     50–60%     60–70%
Tie:      50%

Attorney General before election

Darrell McGraw
Democratic

Elected Attorney General

Patrick Morrisey
Republican

Democratic incumbent Darrell McGraw was defeated by Patrick Morrisey, a lawyer specializing in health care matters, 51% to 49%.

West Virginia Attorney General Republican primary results, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Patrick Morrisey 82,747 100.00%
Total votes82,747 100.00%
West Virginia Attorney General Democratic primary results, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Darrell McGraw Jr. (incumbent) 166,643 100.00%
Total votes166,643 100.00%
West Virginia Attorney General Election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Patrick Morrisey 329,854 51.24%
Democratic Darrell McGraw Jr. (incumbent)313,83048.76%
Total votes643,684 100.00%
Republican gain from Democratic

Secretary of State

2012 West Virginia Secretary of State election
Flag of West Virginia.svg
  2008 November 6, 2012 2016  
  NatalieTennant7.jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Natalie Tennant Brian Savilla
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote398,463240,080
Percentage62.40%37.60%

2012 WV Secretary of State election.svg
Tennant:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Savilla:     50–60%     60–70%

Secretary of State before election

Natalie Tennant
Democratic

Elected Secretary of State

Natalie Tennant
Democratic

Democratic incumbent Natalie Tennant, was re-elected easily, receiving 62% of the vote over state delegate Brian Savilla. She received by far the most votes of any statewide candidate.

West Virginia Secretary of State Democratic primary results, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Natalie Tennant (incumbent) 171,471 100.00%
Total votes171,471 100.00%
West Virginia Secretary of State Republican primary results, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Brian Savilla 82,334 100.00%
Total votes82,334 100.00%
West Virginia Secretary of State General Election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Natalie Tennant (incumbent) 398,463 62.40%
Republican Brian Savilla240,08037.60%
Total votes638,543 100.00%
Democratic hold

Treasurer

2012 West Virginia State Treasurer election
Flag of West Virginia.svg
  2008 November 6, 2012 2016  
  John Perdue.jpg Former senator Mike Hall speaking at the State Revenue Collections Press Conference in May 2018 (cropped).jpg
Nominee John Perdue Mike Hall
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote348,267280,316
Percentage55.41%44.59%

2012 WV Treasurer election.svg
Perdue:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Hall:     50–60%     60–70%

State Treasurer before election

John Perdue
Democratic

Elected State Treasurer

John Perdue
Democratic

Democratic incumbent John Perdue, won reelection over State Senate Minority Leader Mike Hall.

Democratic primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic John Perdue (incumbent) 160,104 100.00%
Total votes160,104 100.00%
Republican primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Mike Hall 49,433 55.57%
Republican Stephen R. "Steve" Connolly39,51244.43%
Total votes88,945 100.00%
West Virginia Treasurer General Election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic John Perdue (incumbent) 348,267 55.41%
Republican Mike Hall 280,31644.59%
Total votes628,583 100.00%
Democratic hold

Auditor

2012 West Virginia State Auditor election
Flag of West Virginia.svg
  2008 November 6, 2012 2016  
 
Nominee Glen Gainer III Larry V. Faircloth
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote355,610263,959
Percentage57.40%42.60%

2012 WV Auditor election.svg
Gainer:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Faircloth:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%

State Auditor before election

Glen Gainer III
Democratic

Elected State Auditor

Glen Gainer III
Democratic

Democratic incumbent Glen Gainer III, won re-election for the last time over former state Delegate Larry Faircloth. [6]

In April of 2016, Gainer announced he would resign [7] before the end of his term to accept a job as President and CEO of the National White Collar Crime Center, beginning May 15. [8] Lisa Hopkins, who had served as general counsel and deputy commissioner of securities since 2001, was appointed by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin as Gainer's replacement on May 13 and she took office 2 days later. [9]

Democratic primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Glen Gainer III (incumbent) 158,163 100.00%
Total votes158,163 100.00%
Republican primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Larry V. Faircloth 81,917 100.00%
Total votes81,917 100.00%
West Virginia State Auditor General Election, 2012
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Glen Gainer III (incumbent) 355,610 57.40%
Republican Larry V. Faircloth 263,95942.60%
Total votes619,569 100.00%
Democratic hold

Commissioner of Agriculture

2012 West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture election
Flag of West Virginia.svg
  2008 November 6, 2012 2016  
 
Nominee Walt Helmick Kent Leonhardt
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote447,537320,650
Percentage58.26%41.74%

2012 WV Agriculture Commissioner election.svg
Helmick:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Leonhardt:     50–60%     60–70%

Secretary of State before election

Gus Douglass
Democratic

Elected Secretary of State

Walt Helmick
Democratic

Democratic incumbent Gus Douglass, who has held the position of state Agriculture Commissioner since 1993 (and previously held the position from 1965 to 1989), decided to retire. [10]

State Senator Walt Helmick sought and received the Democratic nomination to succeed Douglass. He defeated Joe Messineo, a former agricultural field supervisor for the state Department of Agriculture and the USDA; Steve Miller, an assistant state Agriculture Commissioner; Sally Shepherd, a farmer; and, Bob Tabb, the deputy state Agriculture Commissioner and former state Delegate. [11]

Kent Leonhardt, a farmer and retired Marine lieutenant colonel, received the Republican nomination. [12] Mike Teets, a cattleman who unsuccessfully challenged Douglass in 2008, has planned to run but dropped out of the race in February 2012. [13]

Helmick defeated Leonhardt with 52% of the vote. [14]

Democratic primary
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Walt Helmick 59,376 32.88%
Democratic Sally Shephard44,45424.62%
Democratic Steve Miller39,13021.68%
Democratic Joe Messineo24,61313.63%
Democratic Bob Tabb12,9767.19%
Total votes180,549 100.00%

Legislature

State Senate

17 of the 34 members of the West Virginia Senate were up for election. The state Senate consisted of 28 Democrats and 6 Republicans. This was the first election after the redistricting following the 2010 Census.

Democrats won 11 of the 17 races. With the carryover seats the Democrats retained control of the State Senate 23 to 11.

State House of Delegates

All 100 members of the West Virginia House of Delegates were up for election. The state House previously consisted of 65 Democrats and 35 Republicans. This likewise was the first election following the redistricting, with the House districts changed more than those of the Senate. Democrats won only 55 of the 100 races, making the new balance of power 55–45, the best showing for Republicans since the party shift of 1932. [15]

Supreme Court

Two seats were up for election on the state Supreme Court of Appeals. The electoral system requires voters to "vote for no more than two" in a single election, rather than electing each seat separately. Both seats were held by Democrats.

Justice Robin Jean Davis, who was first elected in 2000, ran for re-election, while Justice Thomas McHugh, kept his pledge to not seek a full term. McHugh had previously served on the court from 1980 to 1997, and was appointed and then elected to an unexpired term in 2008.

Davis faced Wood County Circuit Judge J.D. Beane; Letitia Neese Chafin, a lawyer and wife of state Senator H. Truman Chafin; Louis Palmer, a Supreme Court clerk; H. John "Buck" Rogers, a lawyer; and, Greenbrier County Circuit Judge Jim Rowe, in the Democratic primary. Chafin and Davis received the Democratic nomination. [16]

Allen Loughry, a law clerk for Democrat Supreme Court Justice Margaret Workman, and Jefferson County Circuit Judge John Yoder sought and received the Republican nomination as they were the only two Republican candidates in the primary.

Davis was re-elected, while Allen Loughry was elected to his first term in office. With the election of Loughry, the court has two elected Republicans sitting on the bench for the first time since 1940. [14]

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References

  1. "2012 General" (PDF). sos.wv.gov. November 6, 2012.
  2. "Election Results". wvmetronews.com.
  3. "Filing For Congress". West Virginia MetroNews . January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  4. "WVa US Rep Shelley Moore Capito overcomes rare GOP primary challenge in bid for 7th term". Associated Press. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  5. 1 2 "US House Election Results". wvmetronews.com.
  6. "Faircloth Planning". journal-news.net.
  7. Mattise, Jonathan (April 15, 2016). "West Virginia Auditor Glen Gainer resigning for new job". The Register-Herald. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  8. Eric Eyre (April 26, 2016). "Gainer to work for white-collar crime center". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  9. Mary Smith (May 13, 2016). "Update: WV Gov. Tomblin names Gainer's replacement for state auditor". The News Center. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. Kabler, Phil (May 17, 2011). "After decades as ag commissioner, Douglass won't seek re-election". The Charleston Gazette . Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  11. Poe, Misty (April 29, 2012). "Agriculture primary has five Democrats". Times West Virginian . Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  12. "Republicans name Kent Leonhardt to Ag Commissioner ballot". State Journal . February 28, 2012. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  13. Rivard, Ry (February 10, 2012). "Teets, sole Republican in primary, drops out of agriculture commission race: state GOP scrambling for candidate". Charleston Daily Mail . Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  14. 1 2 "Show Election Results". www.wvmetronews.
  15. "Show Results". wvmetronews.com.
  16. Taylor, Zac (May 8, 2012). "Davis, Chafin win Supreme Court nominations". The Charleston Gazette . Retrieved August 6, 2012.