Republicans keep winning big in West Virginia, but that's (maybe) partially because Democrats didn't fill the ballot
The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, November 9, 2024
This election was a little bit weird for me.
By that, I don’t mean to imply I’m passing any sort of public judgement on the results.
As journalists, our jobs are to report the facts — to simply tell it like it is and let the public decide what to think of what goes down. While I may have some internal thoughts about what shakes out on the first Tuesday in November every couple of years, I keep all of it close to the vest.
It’s just that this was the first election night since 2012 I didn’t work — at all. Seeing how I work shift work and do weekend overnights (Thursday through Sunday nights), I simply wasn’t on the clock.
To keep with a long-running “journalism is a team sport” metaphor: I refer to presidential election years as the “Super Bowl of News.” If you do what Giles and I do, you want to be in the game. When there’s no room on the field, being left the sidelines isn’t much of a consolation. It’s not exactly about work, it’s about not getting to touch the ball in the big game.
Really, I was just away from my team and, well, kind of bored.
I’ll get over it. After all, in some ways that’s what the Weakly is for me — an outlet to recap things I don’t have the bandwidth or freedom to do in my main gig.
So strap in, this morning we’ll give a quick rundown of West Virginia’s election results and also give some other news around the state.
The Weakly Election Recap:
In case you’d rather skip my brief analysis of the election — or maybe you want to dig into the minutia yourself — you can find official-unofficial results and vote totals to all races for state government offices and the proposed constitutional amendment on the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office.1
The biggest headline (though it came as no surprise), was Gov. Jim Justice skating to victory over attorney and former Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott. The two-term Republican governor wasn’t burdened at all by a months-long saga that’s drawn into question the finances of his family businesses and put his famous Greenbrier Hotel in jeopardy of hitting the auction block. Justice gave a short victory speech at the resort hotel, likening himself to a young Cassius Clay after knocking out Sonny Liston in 1964. “I shook up the world,” he said.2
Rep. Carol Miller won reelection in West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. State Treasurer and former delegate Riley Moore — who’s also the nephew of U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito — grabbed the seat in the 2nd District.3 Moore will replace Rep. Alex Mooney, who ran against and lost to Gov. Justice in May’s GOP primary race for Senate to replace outgoing Democrat-turned-Independent Sen. Joe Manchin.
And the red wave that began in West Virginia in 2014 — when the GOP took control of the statehouse for the first time in more than eight decades — continued to get bigger on Tuesday night.
Three-term state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is now governor-elect — and suggested that some “tough decisions” will need to be made in terms of the state’s finances as he steps into office.4
The GOP also made another clean sweep of the state’s five constitutional offices5, with Republicans Kris Warner (Secretary of State), Mark Hunt (Auditor), J.B. McCuskey (Attorney General), Kent Leonhardt (Commissioner of Agriculture) and Larry Pack (Treasurer) all winning handedly. Pack, a former delegate who’d been serving as acting Secretary of Revenue, went unopposed in his race to oversee the state’s piggybank.
Speaking of unopposed races, Democrats suffered in 2024 (at least in part) from failing to fill the ballot — leaving the GOP without a contender in 7 of 17 state Senate races and in 41 of 100 House races. (Republicans themselves didn’t run a candidate in eight House races.)
Coming into the election, the Republican-Democrat split at the statehouse was already pronounced, but will be even more so once lawmakers return for session in February (remember, it’ll be an inauguration year — meaning, they push the start date back a month). Before the election, Republicans held 89 of seats in the House of Delegates and 31 of 34 in the Senate. According to results from the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office, the GOP is now poised to claim 91 seats in the House and 32 in the Senate.
Notably, though, Democrats did hold on to one seat they saw as important in the state Senate’s 13th District. With Sen. Mike Caputo (D-Marion) not seeking re-election and effectively retiring from the Legislature after nearly 30 years, current delegate Joey Garcia was able to hold on to the seat that represents parts of Marion and Monongalia counties.6
Beyond voting for elected offices, West Virginians also voted to enshrine in the state constitution a ban on medically assisted suicide. Amendment 1 — which stemmed from House Joint Resolution 28 during the 2024 legislative session7 — was approved with 50.5% of voters voting for the measure and 49.5% opposing it.8 The measure was opposed by the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia and was supported by West Virginians for Life, the group that lobbies to restrict access to abortion rights, among other issues. As is often the case when a proposed change to the state constitution hits the ballot, some voters felt confused by the wording.
Tuesday’s election also was not without mishaps from a logistical standpoint. Officials in Kanawha County say a corrupted data stick delayed counting some 31,000 early voting ballots, which put them behind on reporting results on election night.9 All’s well that ends well, as county officials were able to tabulate those results early Wednesday.10 11
Your Regular Old, Non-Election-Related (Albeit Abbreviated) Weakly Reader:
📚 Gov. Justice has named his wife Cathy to a nine-year term on the West Virginia Board of Education. The state’s outgoing First Lady will take on a full term as board member Daniel Snavely’s term ended this week.12 During a virtual briefing Thursday, Justice spoke about the appointment and her work as First Lady when asked by a reporter. “The job she’s done is off the chart,” Justice said. “She’s very, very qualified.” Appointing a First Lady to the BOE isn’t unprecedented, either. While governor, outgoing U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin put his wife Gayle on the panel as well.
📚 The First Lady’s appointment comes as school systems across the state are reporting declines in enrollment. Some of the state’s largest counties, including Harrison, Kanawha, Marion and Monongalia counties, are all experiencing lower numbers of enrolled students.13 Some county superintendents say the trend is a result of increased options for alternative schooling and economic factors.
🔥 As drought conditions continue to spur on wildfires in West Virginia, Gov. Justice has issued a statewide burn ban14 to remain in effect until further notice. Since July, state forest officials have handled more than 450 fires that have damaged or destroyed more than 15,000 acres. Nearly 60 members of the West Virginia Division of Forestry are currently battling multiple fires in the southern coalfields.15
🏕️ Following in the footsteps of other West Virginia municipalities, the Clarksburg City Council has passed a ban on camping in public. Council members voted Thursday after giving the measure a first reading in October.16 Once the ordinance goes into effect on January 1, 2025, first-time offenders in Clarksburg will be given a written warning, second-time violators will incur a fine of $200 and a those cited with third offense within a 12-month span would be fined $500.
⚙️ Union machinists at South Charleston’s Union Carbide plant are headed back to work after contract disputes had them on strike for two weeks. Seventy-seven workers went on strike on October 20 when their previous contract ended.17 Under the new contract, machinists at the plant will receive pay increases, a 15% contribution to their 401k retirement plans and safer working conditions.
What we’re reading: Opinion and anything else that gets our attention
West Virginia’s Republican domination (OPINION) ~ Hoppy Kercheval, WVMetroNews
How a new Trump regime could threaten energy and climate progress in W.Va. ~ Mike Tony, The Charleston Gazette-Mail
Morrisey: Much work ahead for smooth transition (OPINION) ~ The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
Down ballot numbers show small GOP drop-off (OP-ED) ~ The Charleston Gazette-Mail
November 5, 2024 General Election Results ~ West Virginia Secretary of State’s office
Republican Jim Justice flips US Senate seat from West Virginia after Manchin retirement ~ John Raby, Associated Press
Riley Moore and Carol Miller win election to Congress ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews
Morrisey victory speech suggests what to expect from new gubernatorial regime ~ Mike Tony, The Charleston Gazette-Mail
Multiple New Officials Will Lead Highest W.Va. Administrative Body ~ Caelan Bailey, Jack Walker, West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Marion County voters return incumbents to office, while a new Garcia will head to Charleston ~ Esteban Fernandez, The Times West Virginian
House Joint Resolution 28 ~ West Virginia Legislature, 2024 Regular Session
WV voters narrowly approved putting medically assisted suicide prohibition in constitution ~ Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
Corrupted data stick delays election totals in Kanawha County ~ Leysa Feinstein, WSAZ
Kanawha County finalizes unofficial election results after overnight early vote recount ~ Staff Reports, WCHS-TV
How Kanawha County overcame ‘emergency of emergencies’ during ballot counting ~ Ashley Perham, The Charleston Gazette-Mail
Gov. Justice appoints First Lady Cathy Justice to WV Board of Education ~ Sierra Marling, The Charleston Gazette-Mail
School systems across West Virginia see enrollment decline ~ Noah Jefferies, WVNews
Executive Order ~ Office of Gov. Jim Justice
Drought conditions continue to fuel forest fires in W.Va. ~ Chris Lawrence, WVMetroNews
Clarksburg City Council passes ordinance to ban camping in the city ~ Aaron Parker, WVMetroNews
Strike settled: Union Carbine machinists receive new contract, get back to work ~ Fred Pace, The Charleston Gazette-Mail