2020 West Virginia gubernatorial election
The 2020 West Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Governor of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
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   Justice: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Salango: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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Incumbent Governor Jim Justice announced his 2020 re-election campaign on January 7, 2019.[1] Justice was elected in 2016 as a Democrat, but later switched back to the Republican Party in a campaign rally with Donald Trump.[2] Justice won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic Kanawha County commissioner Ben Salango. Justice's re-election made him the first Republican to be elected governor of West Virginia since Cecil Underwood in 1996. Additionally, Justice became the first incumbent Republican governor to win re-election since Arch A. Moore Jr. in 1972, as well as the first Republican to carry all counties in West Virginia. However, Justice performed worse than Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who outperformed Justice by 5.13 percentage points. Additionally, Salango slightly outperformed Biden by 0.53 percentage points.
Republican primary
Nominee
- Jim Justice, incumbent Governor[3]
Eliminated in primary
Declined
- Mac Warner, Secretary of State of West Virginia (running for re-election)[9]
- David McKinley, incumbent U.S. Representative for West Virginia's 1st congressional district (running for re-election)[10]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Jim Justice |
Mike Folk |
Woody Thrasher |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triton Polling & Research/WMOV | May 18–26, 2020 | 719 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 53% | 15% | 14% | 18%[lower-alpha 2] |
| WPA Intelligence (R)[upper-alpha 1] | December 16–18, 2019 | 502 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 38% | 6% | 30% | 26%' |
| Research America Inc. | December 4–9, 2019 | 229 (LV) | – | 56% | 11% | 21% | 12% |
| Public Opinion Strategies (R) | August 24–25, 2019 | –[lower-alpha 3] | – | 56% | – | 26% | 18% |
| Research America Inc. | August 14–22, 2019 | 216 (LV) | – | 53% | 12% | 19% | 17%' |
| WPA Intelligence[upper-alpha 2] | August 13–14, 2019 | 509 (V) | – | 38% | 11% | 23% | 28% |
| WPA Intelligence[upper-alpha 3] | March 7–10, 2019 | 509 (V) | – | 58% | 5% | 5% | 32% |
Results
Results by county:
Justice
- Justice—80–90%
- Justice—70–80%
- Justice—60–70%
- Justice—50–60%
- Justice—40–50%
Folk
- Folk—40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Justice (incumbent) | 133,258 | 62.70% | |
| Republican | Woody Thrasher | 38,898 | 18.30% | |
| Republican | Michael Folk | 26,735 | 12.58% | |
| Republican | Doug Six | 4,429 | 2.08% | |
| Republican | Brooke Lunsford | 3,849 | 1.81% | |
| Republican | Shelly Jean Fitzhugh | 2,799 | 1.32% | |
| Republican | Chuck Sheedy | 2,552 | 1.20% | |
| Total votes | 212,520 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Nominee
- Ben Salango, Kanawha County commissioner[12]
Eliminated in primary
- Stephen Smith, community organizer[13]
- Ron Stollings, state senator[14]
- Jody Murphy, businessman[7]
- Douglas Hughes, environmental permit writer for West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection[15]
Declined
- Booth Goodwin, former United States Attorney and candidate for Governor of West Virginia in 2016[10]
- Joe Manchin, incumbent U.S. Senator and former Governor of West Virginia[16]
Endorsements
Ben Salango
- Federal politicians
- Joe Manchin, U.S. Senator (WV)[17]
- Individuals
- Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Allen E. Tackett, former West Virginia National Guard adjutant general (1995-2010)[18]
- Organizations
- Newspapers
Stephen Smith
- Federal politicians
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator (MA)[21]
- Organizations
- People for the American Way Next Up[22]
- Progressive Change Campaign Committee[23]
- Rise Up West Virginia[24]
- Working Families Party[25]
- Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic [26]
Ron Stollings
- State legislators
- Corey Palumbo, West Virginia State Senator from the 17th and 8th districts (2009-present)[27]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Ben Salango |
Stephen Smith |
Ron Stollings |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triton Polling & Research/WMOV | May 18–26, 2020 | 231 (LV) | ± 6.4% | 30% | 27% | 10% | 33%[lower-alpha 4] |
| Research America/MetroNews | December 4–10, 2019 | 220 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 18% | 21% | 19% | 46%[lower-alpha 5] |
Results
Results by county:
Salango
- Salango—60–70%
- Salango—50–60%
- Salango—40–50%
- Salango—30–40%
Smith
- Smith—30–40%
- Smith—40–50%
- Smith—50–60%
Stollings
- Stollings—50–60%
- Stollings—70–80%
Murphy
- Murphy—30–40%
- Murphy—40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ben Salango | 74,805 | 38.68% | |
| Democratic | Stephen Smith | 65,544 | 33.89% | |
| Democratic | Ron Stollings | 25,782 | 13.33% | |
| Democratic | Jody Murphy | 18,039 | 9.33% | |
| Democratic | Douglas Hughes | 9,231 | 4.77% | |
| Total votes | 193,401 | 100.00% | ||
Other candidates
Mountain Party
The Mountain Party received over 5% of the vote in 2016 with former State Senator and Delegate Charlotte Pritt as the party's gubernatorial nominee. The party nominates its candidate for governor by convention per its bylaws.[29]
Nominee
- Daniel Lutz, Eastern Panhandle Conservation District Supervisor representing Jefferson County, and Commissioned U.S. Air Force Veteran[30]
Endorsements
Nominee
- Erika Kolenich, trial attorney[7]
Write-ins
The following candidates are certified write-in candidates.[32]
Declared
- Quintin Gerard Caldwell
- Michael Folk, former State Delegate (sought the nomination of the Republican Party)
- Kimberly Gross
- Mitch Roberts
- Marshall Wilson, State Delegate (Independent)[33]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[34] | Safe R | October 23, 2020 |
| Inside Elections[35] | Safe R | October 28, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[36] | Likely R | November 2, 2020 |
| Politico[37] | Likely R | November 2, 2020 |
| Daily Kos[38] | Safe R | October 28, 2020 |
| RCP[39] | Safe R | November 2, 2020 |
| 270towin[40] | Likely R | November 2, 2020 |
Endorsements
Ben Salango (D)
- Federal politicians
- Joe Manchin, U.S. Senator (WV)[17]
- Individuals
- Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Allen E. Tackett, former West Virginia National Guard adjutant general (1995-2010)[18]
- Jennifer Garner, actress[41]
- Organizations
- Newspapers
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Jim Justice (R) |
Ben Salango (D) |
Daniel Lutz (M) |
Erika Kolenich (L) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triton Polling and Research | October 19–21, 2020 | 544 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 53% | 35% | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| Research America Inc. | October 1–6, 2020 | 450 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 53% | 34% | 2% | 5% | 6% |
| Triton Polling & Research | September 29–30, 2020[lower-alpha 6] | 525 (RV) | ± 4.3% | 48% | 38% | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Strategies Unlimited[upper-alpha 4] | September 26–30, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 46% | 40% | 5% | – | 8% |
| Mark Blankenship Enterprises (R)[lower-alpha 7] | September 10–14, 2020 | 504 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 54% | 27% | 9%[lower-alpha 8] | 10% | |
Hypothetical polling
- Jim Justice vs. Joe Manchin
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Jim Justice (R) |
Joe Manchin (D) |
Other / Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research America/MetroNews | August 14–22, 2019 | 501 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 39% | 49% | 12% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Justice (incumbent) | 497,944 | 63.49% | +21.19% | |
| Democratic | Ben Salango | 237,024 | 30.22% | -18.87% | |
| Libertarian | Erika Kolenich | 22,527 | 2.87% | +0.72% | |
| Americans Coming Together | S. Marshall Wilson (write-in) | 15,120 | 1.93% | N/A | |
| Mountain | Daniel Lutz | 11,309 | 1.44% | -4.45% | |
| Write-in | 363 | 0.05% | N/A | ||
| Total votes | 784,287 | 100.00% | |||
| Turnout | 802,726 | 63.25% | |||
| Registered electors | 1,269,219 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Cabell (Largest city: Huntington)
- Calhoun (Largest city: Grantsville)
- Clay (Largest city: Clay)
- Gilmer (Largest city: Glenville)
- Greenbrier (Largest city: Lewisburg)
- Jackson (Largest city: Ravenswood)
- Marshall (Largest city: Moundsville)
- Mason (Largest city: Point Pleasant)
- Monongalia (Largest city: Morgantown)
- Monroe (Largest city: Peterstown)
- Nicholas (Largest city: Summersville)
- Ohio (Largest city: Wheeling)
- Pendleton (Largest city: Franklin)
- Pleasants (Largest city: St. Marys)
- Pocahontas (Largest city: Marlinton)
- Raleigh (Largest city: Beckley)
- Randolph (Largest city: Elkins)
- Roane (Largest city: Spencer)
- Summers (Largest city: Hinton)
- Wayne (Largest city: Kenova)
- Wetzel (Largest city: New Martinsville)
- Harrison (Largest city: Clarksburg)
- Kanawha (Largest city: Charleston)
- Lincoln (Largest city: Hamlin)
- Wyoming (Largest city: Mullens)
- Brooke (largest borough: Wellsburg)
- Fayette (largest city: Fayetteville)
- Logan (largest borough: Logan)
- Mingo (largest borough: Williamson)
- Boone (largest city: Madison)
- Braxton (largest town: Sutton)
- Marion (largest city: Fairmont)
- McDowell (largest city: Welch)
- Webster (largest town: Webster Springs)
- Wirt (largest municipality: Elizabeth)
- Putnam (largest municipality: Hurricane)
- Wood (largest municipality: Parkersburg)
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - Undecided with 12%, Doug Six with 2.0%; Shelby Fitzhugh with 1.8%; Brooke Lunsford with 1.2%; Chuck Sheedy with 0.6%
- Not available
- Undecided with 29%, Jody Murphy with 2.9%; Douglas Hughes with 1.3%
- Undecided with 42%, Cecil Silva with 1.8%; Jody Murphy with 1.4%; Edwin Vanover with 0.5%
- Additional data sourced from FiveThirtyEight
- Poll sponsored by Justice's campaign.
- Split between Danny Lutz (M) and Erika Kolenich (L)
- Partisan clients
- Poll conducted for Woody Thrasher
- Poll sponsored by Woody Thrasher's campaign
- Poll sponsored by Woody Thrasher's campaign
- Poll sponsored by West Virginia First, which opposed Jim Justice's reelection bid prior to this poll's sampling period.
References
- Brown, Haley (January 7, 2019). "Governor Justice announces 2020 campaign". WVVA. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- "West Virginia Undergoing Political, Generational Change". New York Times. August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- Zuckerman, Jake (January 7, 2019). "Gov. Jim Justice announces re-election bid". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- "Campaign Update: Shelby Jean Fitzhugh on West Virginia's needs". West Virginia Press. February 14, 2020.
- "Former Delegate Mike Folk announces run for W.Va. governor". Associated Press. February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- Thomas, Alex (January 29, 2020). "Governor, US Senate seats up in this year's election".
- "Financial Disclosure - Governor 2020 Election". West Virginia Secretary of State.
- Young, Charles (April 16, 2019). "Woody Thrasher to run for governor, hopes to unseat Justice in WV's 2020 election". WV News. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
- Kabler, Phil (October 4, 2018). "BRIM adopts statement of support for pending settlements of Mac Warner lawsuits". Charleston Gazette-Mail.
- Adams, Steven Allen (December 3, 2018). "Tis the election season again". The Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- "GOVERNOR - REP". Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- Morris, Jeff (October 4, 2019). "Kanawha Commissioner Ben Salango to run for governor". WCHS.
- Mistich, David (November 27, 2018). "West Virginia Community Organizer Jumps in 2020 Gubernatorial Race". WV Public Broadcasting. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- Jenkins, Jeff (September 23, 2019). "Stollings to run for governor". WV MetroNews. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- "Douglas Hughes, Democratic candidate for W.Va. governor". WCHS - ABC 8. April 3, 2020. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
- Levine, Marianne (September 3, 2019). "Joe Manchin won't run for governor of West Virginia". Politico. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
- WVMetroNews (March 18, 2020). "Manchin endorses Salango in gubernatorial contest". WV MetroNews. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- "Endorsements | Ben Salango for Governor". Ben Salango. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- "2020 Primary Election Cope Endorsements". West Virginia AFL-CIO.
- "Ben Salango for Governor | West Virginia". Ben Salango. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- McElhinny, Brad (September 9, 2019). "Elizabeth Warren pitches an early endorsement for Stephen Smith's campaign for governor". WV MetroNews.
"I'm proud to endorse Stephen's bid for governor, and his team's efforts to run candidates up and down the ballot," Warren stated.
- "Next Up Endorses Young Progressive Candidates". People for the American Way. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- "Join the Bold Progressive Movement!". Progressive Change Campaign Committee (BoldProgressives.org).
- "2020 Endorsements". Rise Up West Virginia. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- "Join us Sunday for the next WFP Assembly". Working Families Party. January 24, 2020. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- "Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic Announces Election Endorsements, including Stephen Smith for Governor". Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PlannedParenthoodAction.org).
- Pace, Bailey (March 18, 2020). "Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Stollings, criticizes Manchin for endorsement of opponent during COVID-19 crisis". WVVA. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- "GOVERNOR - DEM". Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- "Constitution and Bylaws of the West Virginia Mountain Party". Mountain Party. November 11, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- "Mountain Party Nominates Danny Lutz For Governor". Mountain Party. June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- "2020 General Election Guide" (PDF). Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- "List Of Candidates For 11/03/2020 -- GENERAL 2020" (PDF). West Virginia Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- "Delegate Marshall Wilson running for Governor of West Virginia". WDVM-TV. June 12, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- "2020 Governor Race Ratings for October 23, 2020". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- "2020 Gubernatorial Ratings". insideelections.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- "2020 Gubernatorial race ratings". Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 2, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- "We rated every gubernatorial race in 2020. Here's who we think will win". Politico. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
- "2020 Governor Race Ratings". Daily Kos. June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- "2020 Governor Races". RealClearPolitics. June 13, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- "2020 Gubernatorial Elections Map". 270towin.
- "Ben Salango hosts Facebook Live with Jennifer Garner to discuss issues in W.Va". WSAZ News. September 17, 2020.
- "Ben Salango on Twitter: I am honored to have the endorsement of Cecil Roberts and the @MineWorkers". Twitter.
- "November 3, 2020 General Election - Official Results". West Virginia State - Clarity Elections. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- "Election Night Reporting". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved December 13, 2020..
- "2020 General Election Write-in Candidate Results" (PDF). West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
External links
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "West Virginia", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "West Virginia: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of West Virginia". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- West Virginia at Ballotpedia
- Official campaign websites
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