Briana Heaney Published

Primary Election Shakes Up State Senate

Bald man in a dark suit holding a microphone
Sen. Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, has served in the state Senate since 2012.
Will Price/WV Legislative Photography
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Eight state senators will not be returning for next year’s legislative session. That makes up nearly 25 percent of the upper chamber.  

Tuesday’s shake up resulted in four senators losing their primary races: Sens. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, Robert Karnes, R-Randolph, Mike Maroney, R-Marshall, and, most notably, Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley. 

Sens. David Stover, R-Wyoming, Robert Plymale, D-Wayne, Charles Trump, R-Morgan, and Mike Caputo, D-Marion, all decided not to run for a Senate seat this year. Trump is headed to serve on the state’s Supreme Court. 

Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, held onto her Republican nomination, but with a thin two percent margin.

Sen. Mark Hunt, R-Kanawha, won the Republican nomination for state auditor. If he wins in November, he will be the ninth senator to leave the Senate this year.