Updated on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 10:30 p.m.
Voters across West Virginia are heading to the polls to vote in the 2024 primary election.
The governor’s race has been one of the most closely watched. On the Republican ticket, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, former Del. Moore Capito, R-Kanawha, car dealership magnate Chris Miller and Secretary of State Mac Warner have advertised heavily, and at least three of them have engaged in significant mudslinging — something voters said they don’t like.
The lone Democrat running for governor, three-term Huntington Mayor Steve Willams, has saved his campaign war chest and rhetoric for the general election.
The four primary candidates running for Attorney General are Republicans Sen. Mike Stuart, R-Kanawha, and State Auditor J.B. McCuskey. They are vying for votes against Democratic candidates Richie Robb and Wheeling attorney Teresa Toriseva.
Term-limited Republican Gov. Jim Justice is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. His competition in the primary is U.S. Congressman Alex Mooney, R-W.Va. Polling has shown Justice with a commanding lead throughout the campaign season.
Manchin endorsed Wheeling Mayor Glen Elliot for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race. Elliot’s primary challengers include former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship and Marine Corps veteran Zach Shrewsbury of Princeton.
For up-to-date information on the candidates and election results, visit the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office and stay tuned to this live blog from West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Polls close at 7:30 p.m.
Follow the WVPB Newsroom on Instagram @wvpublicnews.
Election Results
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Morrisey Wins GOP Primary For Governor
By Eric Douglas
Published at 10:30 p.m.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has declared victory as the Republican nominee for governor. Former Del. Moore Capito has given a concession speech.
In a state that voted heavily for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020, Morrisey will start as the frontrunner for the November election. He’ll face Steve Williams, who’s in his third term as the mayor of Huntington in November. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, Williams has been able to wait and focus his efforts on the upcoming general election.
First And Second GOP Congressional Races Called
By Eric Douglas
Published at 9:15 p.m.
The Associated Press has called the Republican race for West Virginia’s Second Congressional District seat for State Treasurer Riley Moore. Steve Wendelin was uncontested in the Democratic primary for the same seat, setting up a match-up between the two men this fall.
The AP has also called the GOP primary for the First Congressional District for Carol Miller over Derrick Evans, a former Republican lawmaker who pleaded guilty to charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
Justice Wins GOP Nomination For US Senate
By Eric Douglas
Published at 8:45 p.m.
Republican Gov. Jim Justice has won West Virginia’s GOP U.S. Senate nomination, according to the Associated Press. He is immediately favored to flip a Democratic seat that will be vacated by Sen. Joe Manchin.
As expected, Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican rival Donald Trump easily won their primaries in West Virginia. However, as of 8:30 p.m. on the Secretary of State’s website, Nikki Haley has approximately 10 percent of the Republican vote.
Secretary Of State’s Office Gives Primary Voting Update
By Randy Yohe
Published at 4:20 p.m.
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
WVPB checked in with Secretary of State (SOS) Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Communications Mike Queen mid-afternoon on primary election day to see what was working well and what challenges were being met. Queen said, so far, so good.
He said 1,643 polling places opened this morning. “With the exception of just little glitches that you normally have, everything is going really well so far in all 55 counties.”
Queen said the SOS started primary day planning 10 months ago, working with a network of 55 county clerks.
“We have 1,643 precincts online,” Queen said. “We’ve got backup generator systems with the National Guard on alert all day long in case there would be an electrical issue. The power companies are our partners on Election Day and all in with us in case there would be a problem.“
Asking about statewide voter turnout after about seven hours of voting, Queen turned a disappointing three word phrase.
“Slow and low,” he said. “And that’s probably the biggest disappointment in the election process for us this year. We started the day out with about 17 percent of the registered voters having actually cast ballots, either in person during early voting, or by absentee ballot by mail. That 17 percent is low. By this time, we’re usually in the 21 to 25 percent range. We’d love to get to 40 percent, but I think it’s probably going to be around a 33 to 35 percent turnout for today.”
Queen said voters should visit GoVoteWV.com to follow all the statewide primary races in real time.
Stories From Around The State
Scroll below for stories from around West Virginia as our WVPB reporters speak with voters.
Cabell County
Governor’s Race Runs In The Family For Huntington Resident
By Curtis Tate
Published at 7:30 p.m.
For some Huntington voters Tuesday, the primary election was a family event.
Mark Miller is a lifelong Huntington resident. When asked what motivated him to vote in Tuesday’s primary, his answer was simple.
“Yes, my nephew is running for governor,” he said. “I’m Chris Miller’s uncle. So I don’t know if that’s a plug, but it probably is.”
Chris Miller, a businessman, is one of several Republican candidates vying to succeed Republican Gov. Jim Justice. He’s also the son of GOP Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va.
Mark Miller said voting went smoothly for him at Huntington High School on Tuesday.
“It probably took us, all told, maybe half an hour.”
Other voters said they waited an hour or more to cast their ballots at the high school.
Long Waits To Vote At Huntington High School
By Curtis Tate
Published at 7 p.m.
Photo Credit: Curtis Tate/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
People waited an hour or more to vote at Huntington High School Tuesday.
Nancie Perry of Huntington said she’s been participating in elections for six decades. But she’d never spent as much time waiting to vote as she did on Tuesday.
“I’ve never seen it like that,” she said. “And I really don’t know what they’re standing in line for.”
Perry said she didn’t take advantage of early voting because she didn’t expect a long wait on Election Day.
She added that the high school gymnasium didn’t have enough voting machines.
“I saw several people leave,” Perry said. “And that’s sad.”
Perry, a Democrat, said she was motivated to vote against former President Donald Trump, who endorsed candidates running in West Virginia.
Monongalia County
Local Levies Drive Voter Turnout In Monongalia County
By Chris Schulz
Published at 6 p.m.
In a college town like Morgantown, funding for education and other public services drives voters to the polls.
Galen Anderson is a student at Morgantown High School excited to vote in his first election at his own school. Anderson said he voted in favor of a more than $150 million levy to fund the Renaissance Academy, a new STEM and Career Technical Education center. He believes the new school will help ensure other students in Monongalia County will have more opportunities like the ones he’s afforded by attending Morgantown High.
Photo Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Personally, I’m a fan,” he said. “You can argue with someone for 1,000 years or whether something’s good or bad. The only way to move that forward is to vote.”
Anderson expressed a particular desire to come out and vote for President Joe Biden’s reelection.
“As everyone has said, for every election since the beginning of the United States, this is the most important election ever,” he said. “You should vote. Everyone should vote. If you haven’t voted, you should go vote. And if you don’t vote, that’s OK, too. You’re a part of the system.”
Matthew Misfeldt said his support for the Renaissance Academy came down to “investment in STEM education, investment in children and in providing opportunities that will keep talent and particularly the youth talent here in West Virginia.“
Misfeldt said he was motivated to go to the polls to support a former colleague, whom he did not name, who was running for circuit judge. He expressed some concern for the lack of competition in many local elections.
“A lot of these positions are things that if you’re not really working in that industry, or if that’s not really part of your world, it’s not even something you necessarily think of running for,” Misfeldt said. “You usually see names of people who have been eyeing those jobs for a while, kind of waiting their turn.”
Megan Gandy believes any education funding should go to existing schools.
Photo Credit: Chris Schulz/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
“Seeing that we already have underfunded schools, I want to make sure that all the funds can go to all those students in the schools equally,” she said.
Gandy was more than happy to support levies for parks, fire services and especially libraries. Voters in Monongalia County will vote on five distinct levies.
“We saw over the last legislative session how much people like to try and polarize libraries for some reason,” she said. “I think libraries are a wonderful public service and I think they should be funded more than they are.”
As far as particular races, Gandy said she was energized to vote for Tonya Rachelle Rogers who is running for Magistrate in Division 6.
“I just saw that she is really inclusive of all sorts of types of people, including the LGBTQ+ community,” Gandy said. “I think it’s important that we have magistrates that understand not just the laws, but also the ways that they disproportionately impact minorities. So I was glad to see her on the ballot.”
Adam Komisaruk said he believes civic participation is important to allow individual citizens to exert as much influence as possible. He was another voter wary of the new levy to support the proposed Renaissance Academy.
“If Morgantown is interested in investing in STEM education, which I think is a laudable goal, then I think it should eliminate the middleman and simply increase funding for public schools, rather than sink it into a costly venture where other interested parties are likely to take a cut,” Komisaruk said.
Eastern Panhandle
Eastern Panhandle Voters Focus On Local Elections, Specific Issues
By Jack Walker
Published at 5:40 p.m.
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Tuesday’s primary election marked a step toward finalizing nominees for this year’s presidential election. But Jay Dick, a retiree from Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, said national politics aren’t what brought him to the polls this week.
Dick said he voted in the primary election “mostly for the local voting process — for the sheriff and magistrates and the Board of Education.”
“Just to vote for who I think would do the best job for the county,” he said.
For some voters in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, local elections had more sway over the decision to participate in this year’s primary election than national politics.
According to the States United Democracy Center, fewer than half of general election voters have turned out for primary elections in the past two decades.
While voters like Dick still participate in the primary election over local issues, Berkeley Springs school teacher Paul Price said increasing political polarization on the national level has made the presidential election more off-putting for voters.
“We’ve got two older guys that are at each other’s throat,” Price said of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. “That’s not a conducive relationship to have between politicians, but that’s where we are.”
Price said this polarization “divides the country,” but the primary election provides an opportunity for voters to “eliminate candidates that you don’t want to be in the final running.”
“If you’re going to have a say in what goes on, then you’ve got to step up and say something,” Price said.
Other voters came to the polls over specific issues, like Melody Fish, a lifelong Democrat from Martinsburg. Fish said reproductive rights were her top concern this year.
“Women’s reproductive rights are huge for me, even though I’m old,” she said. “It doesn’t matter for me anymore. It matters for everybody else.”
Fish, like many Eastern Panhandle voters, said participating in elections was a habit she formed in early adulthood.
“I voted in every election since I was 18 years old. I feel it’s my civic duty to do that,” she said. “Even though this state has gotten increasingly red, and I kind of feel like my vote might be wasted, I’m still going to come vote.”
Likewise, Price described voting in elections as a civic “obligation” for residents.
“Whether I like a candidate or not, if I’m going to complain about something, I should have a say in why I’m complaining,” he said. “Everybody who has a chance should vote.”
Sustainable Growth Top Of Mind For Eastern Panhandle Voters
By Jack Walker
Published at 4 p.m.
Photo Credit: Jack Walker/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
The Eastern Panhandle is growing at a faster rate than any other region in West Virginia. Residents say that influences how they are looking at local elections.
Paul Price, a school teacher from Berkeley Springs, Morgan County, said it is important that candidates running for local office have a vision for scaling up the region.
“You gotta be careful how you grow, and who’s leading you while you grow,” he said. “I think that’s the important issue right now. Growth is happening.”
Ken Hunter, a retiree from Charles Town, Jefferson County, expressed concern over the scale of local development, and said he is looking for candidates who can ensure growth is sustainable for the community and environment alike.
“I’d rather look across solar panels at the mountains behind than have the view blocked by new apartment buildings, such as we have going out of town here to the east,” Hunter said.
Morgan, Jefferson and Berkeley counties experienced a net gain of 4,061 residents from 2022 to 2023, with the vast majority of newcomers moving to Berkeley County.
Residents expect that trend — and its impact on local politics — will persist in the years ahead.
Kanawha County
Voters Feel Obligated To Cast Ballots
By Randy Yohe
Published at 3:23 p.m.
Photo Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Many voters heading to polling places in today’s West Virginia Primary said they see casting a primary ballot, any ballot for that matter, as a civic obligation.
Every voter, among the dozen polled at Kanawha City’s Horace Mann Middle School precinct said casting their ballot Tuesday was something mandatory, not optional. Voters like Legal secretary Belinda Mundy.
“Every vote is important and you need to fulfill your civic duty and come out and let your opinion be heard,” Mundy said. “I can remember from, as a child, my mom and dad always going to vote on Election Day. And it was a pretty big deal.”
Every voter polled said they were raised in a family that has voted for generations. Retiree Jimmy Thaxton said he feels an obligation to vote.
“I usually vote in every election and make a choice in what’s going on,” Thanxton said. “I’m not sure whether I vote for the right people or not, but at least I get my two cents in.”
With less than a third of registered voters showing up for primaries, retiree Carol Ball said if you don’t vote, don’t complain.
“This country is in such a mess, such a mess,” Ball said. “If you don’t voice your opinions, you’re not letting the politicians know that we don’t like what’s going on.”
Every voter polled was asked if there was a specific issue that helped motivate them to vote. All said no, they were simply fulfilling a civic duty.
Saint Albans Voters Focus On Mayoral Race
By Emily Rice
Published at 2:45 p.m.
Photo Credit: Eric Douglas/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Besides statewide seats like governor and congress, small towns across West Virginia have local mayor and city council seats to fill.
In Saint Albans, Kanawha County, voters had a choice of five candidates for mayor. Voters like Margaret York of Saint Albans said they are happy with the work of current Saint Albans Mayor Scott James.
“Mostly the mayor election,” York said. “I think Scott James was doing a good job and I’d like to keep him in office.”
John Sikora of Saint Albans agreed and said he feels his right to vote is his right to have a say in what’s happening in his city.
“The city St. Albans was, is, running pretty well right now,” Sikora said. “And I voted for Scott James again, because he’s doing a really good job.”
Dawn Scheick, an advanced practice psych nurse, recently moved to Saint Albans from Phillipi. She said her late husband and mother instilled into her the importance of voting.
“Well, I wanted to vote Democrat of course, but also since I’m relatively new here, I got my friend at church, Riverlawn Presbyterian to help me know who to vote for for mayor and for council at large,” Scheick said. “So I’m learning, and I’m 75, almost, and you keep on learning.”
Scheick said she votes left-leaning because she believes that is a way to show others there is hope.
“Everybody needs to vote in this election, to show the world that we are still a country of honor, and voting,” Scheick said. “That’s why I vote Democrat. I want to let others know that there is hope. And we will do the right thing. For me, I’m a nurse for the poor, for the psychiatrically impaired, for children, for old people, for women. So that’s why I do what I do.”
Voters like Faith Miller, a program manager for Workforce, West Virginia, also from Saint Albans, said she votes in every election, primary or general.
“I think it’s important because it affects our community,” Miller said. “And so I like to get people that I feel represent us well into office.”
Miller said her primary voting concern is abortion.
“I’m primarily concerned about the sanctity of life,” Miller said. “So, pro-life issues are very important to me. So that’s why voting in things like primaries are important.”
This election will determine the representatives for the mayor, council at-large, and city council positions across various wards, with the term of office set from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2028.
