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 County results Byrd: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Raese: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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The 2006 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Robert Byrd won re-election to a ninth term. [1] [2] He was sworn in on January 3, 2007. However, he died in office on June 28, 2010, before the end of his term. This was Byrd's closest re-election.
Before the 2000 presidential election, West Virginia had been won by the Democratic nominee every time since 1932 (except for the Republican landslides of 1956, 1972, and 1984). In 2000, then Republican Governor George W. Bush of Texas won West Virginia’s five electoral college votes over then Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee by a margin of 52–46. Also in the 2000 election, Republican Shelley Moore Capito, the daughter of Former West Virginia Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr., won a surprise victory over Democrat Jim Humphreys for West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District seat to the United States House of Representatives. She would become the first Republican in West Virginia to hold a Congressional office for more than one term since her father in 1969. Before these two major victories for national and West Virginia Republicans, it was difficult to find a Republican who could mount a formidable campaign against Democrats running for public office in West Virginia.
President Bush won West Virginia again in the 2004 presidential election over John F. Kerry, the Democratic junior Senator from Massachusetts by a margin of 56–43. Both Representative Alan Mollohan (D-1st District) and Representative Nick Rahall (D-3rd District) had more formidable challenges from Republicans when compared to 2000 and 2002. Republican Brent Benjamin defeated Democratic incumbent West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals Justice Warren McGraw, and Republican Betty Ireland defeated liberal-Democrat Ken Hechler, a former congressman and secretary of state, for West Virginia Secretary of State.
Since 2000, the Republicans have gained seven net seats in both the West Virginia Senate and the West Virginia House of Delegates. However, the Democrats hold 60% of the seats in the Senate and 68% of the seats in the House.
Along with continued majorities in the legislature, Democrats have also had some other victories. Even though both Bush and Capito won their respective offices in 2000, Senator Byrd sailed to an eighth term with 78% of the vote over Republican David Gallaher. Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV, easily won a fourth term to the Senate in 2002 by a margin of 63–37 over Republican Jay Wolfe. In 2000, 2002, and 2004, both Representative Mollohan and Representative Rahall were re-elected by much stronger margins than Capito. In 2004, Republican Monty Warner failed to defeat Democratic West Virginia Secretary of State Joe Manchin for governor.
After the Republicans failed to win the governor’s race, West Virginia Republican Committee Chairman Kris Warner, the brother of Monty, was put under pressure to resign his post; he did so in May 2005. [3] Wheeling attorney Rob Capehart took his place. (Dr. Doug McKinney of Bridgeport now holds the post.) Another brother of Monty, Kasey, who was appointed by President Bush in 2001, was removed as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 1, 2005. No explanation has been given for his departure and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles T. Miller currently represents the district.
Two Democrats filed for the primary on May 9, 2006: [4] [5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Byrd (incumbent) | 159,154 | 85.7% | ||
| Democratic | Billy Hendricks, Jr. | 26,609 | 14.3% | ||
Shelley Moore Capito : Both state and national Republicans chose Capito as their first choice to challenge Byrd. Early polling showed Byrd with only around a ten-point lead. Capito had even met with National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairwoman Elizabeth Dole, whose husband, Robert Dole, served alongside Byrd as majority and minority leader in the Senate, to discuss a possible run. [6] Despite party leaders pushing for her to run, on October 3, 2005, Capito announced she would seek a fourth term for her congressional seat rather than run against Byrd. She cited the negativity of a possible Byrd-Capito race as a reason for not running. [7] Other reasons for Capito not running include the following: Capito's seat is widely considered safe; Capito is rising in House leadership; if Capito ran against Byrd, her seat could possibly have fallen back into the Democratic column; and Capito's large amount of contributions from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay could be brought into question.
Betty Ireland : After Capito decided not to run, Republicans hoped to recruit Secretary of State Ireland, the first woman elected to the executive branch of West Virginia. On October 27, 2005, however, Ireland announced she would not run against the eight-term senator. She said that the office of Secretary of State should not be used as a political stepping stone. [8] Ironically, Joe Manchin held the office of Secretary of State during his campaign for governor.
Gale Catlett : Conservative columnist Robert Novak wrote in a September 24, 2005, article [9] that Gale Catlett's, the former head coach of the West Virginia University Men's Basketball team, name had been floated around as a possible challenger to Byrd. Catlett had in fact talked to West Virginia Republican Committee Chairman Capehart about either running against Byrd or possibly Representative Mollohan. It was also reported that if Capito had run against Byrd, Catlett would seek her seat. However, on November 11, 2005, Catlett decided not to run against Senator Byrd or Representative Mollohan. [10] (A side note: On November 12, 2005, Ohio County Delegate Chris Wakim (R) announced his intentions to run against Representative Mollohan. [11] )
Capehart: Also mentioned as a possible challenger was Chairman Capehart. Capehart told West Virginia Media Holding’s State Journal on December 5, 2005, that he would not seek the seat. He said that he would remain as chairman to accomplish his main goal: To completely erase the party's $200,000 debt which was left over after the 2004 election cycle. [12]
John Raese : On January 11, 2006, TheHill.com reported that NRSC Chairwoman Dole met with 1984 Republican United States Senate candidate and 1988 Republican Gubernatorial primary-candidate Raese to discuss a possible run for the nomination in May. [13] Raese did file for the primary by the deadline of January 28, 2006.
Six Republicans filed for the primary on May 9, 2006: [4] [5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Raese | 47,408 | 58.3% | ||
| Republican | Hiram Lewis | 18,496 | 22.7% | ||
| Republican | Rick Snuffer | 4,870 | 6.0% | ||
| Republican | Charles G. "Bud" Railey | 4,364 | 5.4% | ||
| Republican | Paul J. Brown | 3,464 | 4.3% | ||
| Republican | Zane Lawhorn | 2,723 | 3.3% | ||
Three candidates appeared on the ballot for the general election on November 7, 2006: [1]
Byrd was extremely popular as he had approval ratings in the low 60% range. [14] Raese, a millionaire, self-financed his campaign. He spent campaign ads on attacking Byrd.
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report [15] | Solid D | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [16] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report [17] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics [18] | Safe D | November 6, 2006 |
| Source | Date | Robert Byrd (D) | John Raese (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen | February 19, 2006 | 58% | 32% |
| Rasmussen | April 25, 2006 | 57% | 34% |
| RMS Strategies | May 22, 2006 | 59% | 30% |
| Rasmussen | August 1, 2006 | 56% | 31% |
| Rasmussen | September 5, 2006 | 63% | 30% |
| Polimetrix Archived November 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine | November 5, 2006 | 67% | 33% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Byrd (incumbent) | 296,276 | 64.42% | -13.33% | |
| Republican | John Raese | 155,043 | 33.71% | +13.55% | |
| Mountain | Jesse Johnson | 8,565 | 1.86% | n/a | |
| Majority | 141,233 | 30.71% | -26.89% | ||
| Turnout | 459,884 | 40.4% | -21.5 | ||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Byrd defeated Raese and Johnson 64-34-2. Representative Mollohan defeated Delegate Wakim 64–36. Representative Capito defeated former West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Callaghan 57–43. Representative Rahall defeated Cabell County Sheriff Kim Wolfe 69–31.
Even though there was a two million dollar ad campaign by Massey Energy's CEO Don Blankenship against West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate Democrats, Democrats gained a net four seats in the House and two seats in the Senate. This resulted in a 72-28 Democrat advantage in the House and a 23-11 Democrat advantage in the Senate.
With the 2007 Democratic takeover of the United States Senate, Senator Byrd became the President pro tempore of the Senate (the third person in the presidential line of succession) as well as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Nicholas Joseph Rahall II is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2015. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the state of West Virginia.
Alan Bowlby Mollohan is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for West Virginia's 1st congressional district from 1983 to 2011. He was a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition.
The 2006 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, 2006, with all 33 Class 1 Senate seats being contested. The term of office for those elected in 2006 ran from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2013. Prior to the election cycle, the Republican Party controlled 55 of the 100 Senate seats.
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.
John Reeves Raese is an American businessman and perennial Republican Party candidate for political office in West Virginia. He lost campaigns to represent West Virginia in the United States Senate in 1984, 2006, 2010, and 2012. He was also defeated in the Republican primary in the election for Governor of West Virginia in 1988.
The 2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 4. Incumbent Senator Jay Rockefeller won re-election to a fifth term in a landslide, defeating Republican Jay Wolfe by a 27-point margin. Despite this overwhelming win, this remains the last time that a Democrat has won West Virginia's Class 2 U.S. Senate seat. In both of the two subsequent elections for the seat, Republicans have swept every single county.
The 2008 congressional elections in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 111th Congress from January 4, 2009, until January 3, 2011. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
West Virginia's 2012 general elections were held on November 6, 2012. Primary elections were held on May 8, 2012.
The 2010 congressional elections in West Virginia were held on November 2, 2010 to determine who would represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; the elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013.
The 2012 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 6, 2012, to elect one of West Virginia's two members of the U.S. Senate for a six-year term. In a rematch of the 2010 special election, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin won re-election to a first full term against the Republican nominee, John Raese. Notably, Manchin outperformed Barack Obama in the concurrent presidential election by 25.06 percentage points in vote share, and by 50.86 percentage points on margin.
The 2010 United States Senate special election in West Virginia was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Senator Robert Byrd died in office on June 28, 2010. Democratic Governor Joe Manchin appointed Carte Goodwin to temporarily fill the vacancy. Goodwin pledged to not run for election to the seat in exchange for the appointment. This was the first open U.S. Senate seat in West Virginia since 1984 and the first in this seat since 1956. Manchin won the open seat and served out the remainder of Byrd's elected term, which ended on January 3, 2013.
The 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on November 7, 2006, to determine who will represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. West Virginia has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
The 2011 West Virginia gubernatorial election was a special election held on October 4, 2011 to fill the office of the West Virginia Governor. The office became vacant upon the resignation of Governor Joe Manchin, who was elected to fill the seat of Robert Byrd in the United States Senate in 2010 following Byrd's death. Lieutenant Governor and Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, first in the line of succession, became acting governor in 2010 after Manchin took up the Senate seat. On January 18, 2011, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that a special election for the office of governor must be held so a new governor can be in place by November 15, 2011, exactly one year after Manchin resigned. The primary election was held on May 14. Tomblin and Republican Bill Maloney won their respective primaries.
The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the three U.S. representatives from West Virginia, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 113th Congress from January 2013 until January 2015. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. A Senate election was also held on that date, during which incumbent Joe Manchin won re-election. As of 2023, this is the last time that a Democrat won a congressional district in West Virginia.
The 2000 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on November 7, 2000, to determine who will represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. West Virginia has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 1990 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
The 2014 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of West Virginia, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. This election was the fifth consecutive even-number year in which a senate election was held in West Virginia after elections in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives election in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the three U.S. representatives from West Virginia, one from each of the state's three congressional districts.
The 2004 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on November 2, 2004 to determine who will represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. West Virginia has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
The 2002 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on November 5, 2002 to determine who will represent the state of West Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. West Virginia has three seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
West Virginia held elections on November 4, 2014. Elections to the United States House of Representatives, as well as the House of Delegates and 17 of 34 Senate seats were held. These elections were held concurrently with other elections nationwide. Primary elections were held on May 13, 2014.
