Primary Elections Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Manchin Endorses Wheeling Mayor For US Senate Primary

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., endorsed Mayor of Wheeling Glenn Elliott for the Democratic primary election in this year’s race for the United States Senate.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has endorsed a potential successor in the race for his United States Senate seat.

Manchin released a video Monday announcing his support for Glenn Elliott, the current mayor of Wheeling, in West Virginia’s May 14 Democratic primary election.

“He has the determination, the vigor and vitality to do the work required to be successful in the U.S. Senate here in Washington, D.C.,” Manchin said. “He’ll show up every day to fight for West Virginia to create jobs, grow our economy and make a better life for our people.”

After serving as senator since 2010, Manchin announced he would not seek reelection last November, citing frustrations over a tense partisan divide in Washington.

Manchin’s decision opened the door for new Democratic candidates like Elliott, who are vying to represent their party in the November general election despite the state’s increasingly Republican base. Manchin is the only Democrat currently holding statewide office in West Virginia.

To secure a place in the state’s Nov. 5 general election, Elliott must defeat two opponents in the Democratic primary: former Marine Zach Shrewsbury and former coal executive Don Blankenship.

Elliott said he was “thrilled” by the endorsement, and that his reputation for “working across the aisle” and “getting things done” helped secure Manchin’s support.

“The senator has made very clear he thinks politics in Washington is broken. One of the advantages of being a mayor is — especially wherever a town like Wheeling is — you don’t really have the luxury of letting politics get broken,” he said. “You gotta get things done.”

With this fall’s general election looming, West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race has become a focal point for both the Democratic and Republican parties nationally.

Both chambers of the United States Congress are led by narrow partisan majorities, with Democrats leading in the Senate and Republicans leading in the United States House of Representatives.

Political analysts have predicted that West Virginia will likely flip to a Republican senator in this year’s general election, which would threaten the Democratic Party’s already tenuous Senate majority.

Elliott said that Manchin’s endorsement suggested that “he thinks I’m the best option to keep the Senate seat going forward.”

Now backed by Manchin, Elliott said he hopes his campaign will appeal to West Virginia voters seeking a candidate who can follow through on their needs in Washington.

“We need folks who have a record of getting things done and who are doers,” he said. “I certainly bring that experience and perspective to the race.”

Candidate Filing Law Sets New Limits On Nominee Appointments

Among the bills passed in the regular state legislative session dealing with voters and elections, and one that faced partisan scrutiny, eliminates a candidate’s filing deadline.

Signed by Gov. Jim Justice on March 27, the last day to do so, House Bill 4350 says if no one files as a party candidate for an elected office after the filing deadline, that vacancy may not be filled. Previously, the party executive committee had 17 days after that deadline to appoint a nominee. The change eliminates that practice except in certain circumstances, including no one filing to run for the position at all, death, disqualification or resignation of a candidate.

The bill sponsor, Del. Josh Holstein, R-Boone, said the change gives voters security in knowing who is running for office. And, he said it allows that someone hasn’t been tossed on the ballot just for political purposes.

“A function of a party is to recruit candidates, number one, and number two, to win elections,” Holstein said. “If we can’t find an individual for two years leading up to an election, and the three to four week filing period, to get them found, we have to scramble. At the end of that, to find somebody just to toss on, it’s usually not a very high quality person or a high quality candidate, it’s just someone that’s filling a ballot.”

Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, and West Virginia Democratic Party chairman, said the legislation hurts voters and only benefits incumbents.

“The only thing that does is make less alternatives, less choices for voters,”Pushkin said. “Democracy works better when we have more choices for voters, when we have more people participating in their democracy. It doesn’t benefit anybody except people already serving in this building.”

West Virginia University Associate Professor of Political Science Scott Critchlow noted that many West Virginia election districts have small populations. He said each of the 100 House of Delegates districts have less than 20,000 people, and that can create a challenge for political parties to find candidates.

“What the practice has been so far is to allow for the people to register after the filing deadline, in case you didn’t get somebody in one of those very, very small, 100 districts,” Critchlow said. “This will stop that practice. And effectively, that’s going to mean that voters don’t have a choice when they go to the polls in November.”

Critchlow also said that House Bill 4350 was voted on by politicians, and noted that many of them could see it as in their own best interest to have fewer possible people run against them as they seek reelection.

“The filing deadline in West Virginia is in January,” Critchlow said. “So just take the last few months as an example. Somebody might know in January that they’re not going to face a person running against them in November. That means that for the entire legislative session from January to March, they can vote however they want to without having to worry about the voters.“

In response, Holstein said he rejects Critchlow’s entire premise, saying the legislation does not impact an incumbent and it preserves election integrity.

“What folks need to know is this preserves the situations where neither major party files a candidate,” Holstein said. “It still allows them to go out for that additional two weeks and seek somebody, so that’s still intact. All this does, it preserves death, it preserves withdrawal, it preserves eligibility, it preserves if no one has filed. All this does is say, if you have not filed during this entire period, and you’ve had two years from the last election cycle to prepare, you’re no longer eligible to be a candidate.”

House Bill 4350 takes effect Jan. 1, 2025.

The Governor’s Signed And Vetoed Bills, COVID-19 Impacts And The Race For U.S. Senate, This West Virginia Week

WVPB looked at what did and didn’t get the governor’s signature and we continue our series looking back at the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic four years after its start.

We also take a look at the Republican primary race for a U.S. Senate seat, as well as updates from the state police on investigations into sexual misconduct.

On this West Virginia Week, the deadline for the governor to sign or veto bills from the state legislature’s regular session before they automatically become law was this week, and WVPB looked at what did and didn’t get the governor’s signature.

We continue our series looking back at the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on retail and outdoor recreation four years after its start.

We also take a look at the Republican primary race for a U.S. Senate seat, as well as updates from the state police on investigations into sexual misconduct.

Chris Schulz is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.

West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Liz McCormick and Randy Yohe.

Learn more about West Virginia Week.

2022 Midterms: What To Watch In Nebraska And W.Va.

In West Virginia, two incumbent congressmen are facing off in a Republican primary after redistricting cost the state a seat in the U.S. House.

The top race in Tuesday’s primary elections in Nebraska and West Virginia is a heavily contested Republican primary for Nebraska governor, featuring a Donald Trump-endorsed candidate who has been accused of groping multiple women.

Voters in Nebraska will also be nominating candidates to replace former U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican convicted in March on charges he lied to federal authorities about an illegal campaign contribution he received from a Nigerian billionaire.

In West Virginia, two incumbent congressmen are facing off in a Republican primary after redistricting cost the state a seat in the U.S. House.

What to watch as Tuesday’s primaries unfold:

How Much Sway Does Trump Have In Nebraska?

In Nebraska’s Republican primary for governor, Trump has endorsed Charles Herbster, a wealthy agribusinessman and cattle breeder who has positioned himself as a political outsider.

Herbster has recently faced allegations that he groped young women, including a Nebraska state senator and a former legislative staffer. He vehemently denies the accusations and has filed a defamation lawsuit against the lawmaker, state Sen. Julie Slama. She filed a countersuit, accusing Herbster of sexual battery. Despite the allegations, Trump has stood by Herbster and appeared with him at a rally last week.

His main rival is University of Nebraska regent Jim Pillen, a former college football player and veterinarian who owns a hog farm operation and swine breeding-stock company. Pillen has won support from high-profile conservatives, including Gov. Pete Ricketts, former Gov. Kay Orr, the influential Nebraska Farm Bureau and former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne.

And in a surprising twist, state Sen. Brett Lindstrom of Omaha has risen to top-tier status as well with support from Omaha’s Republican mayor and ads in which he pitches himself as a “new generation” of leader. He is considered the more moderate option to Herbster and Pillen.

The winner of the GOP primary is expected to face state Sen. Carol Blood, who is all but certain to win the Democratic nomination for governor over a little-known candidate who hasn’t actively campaigned.

How Did A Congressman’s Conviction Reshape The Primary?

U.S. House primary races are usually low-key affairs in Nebraska, with little turnover among the Republican incumbents. But the state has an open seat this year following Fortenberry’s resignation.

Fortenberry initially planned to seek reelection to a 10th term despite a federal indictment and launched attack ads against his main challenger, Republican state Sen. Mike Flood. He dropped his bid after his conviction, and Flood gained momentum with endorsements from Ricketts and former Gov. Dave Heineman.

Flood is now the strong favorite to win the nomination for the 1st Congressional District out of a field of five Republican candidates. Fortenberry’s name will still appear on the ballot because he withdrew after the state’s deadline to certify candidates.

The GOP nominee is expected to face Democratic state Sen. Patty Pansing Brooks in November. Pansing Brooks is running against University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Jazari Kual Zakaria in the Democratic primary.

Flood and Pansing Brooks will also face each other in a June 28 special election to decide who serves the rest of Fortenberry’s term. The November general election will determine who fills the seat starting in January 2023.

The 1st Congressional District encompasses a stretch of eastern Nebraska, excluding Omaha and most of its suburbs. The Republican-leaning district includes Lincoln as well as large stretches of farmland and small towns.

How Much Do Infrastructure Improvements Matter to West Virginia Voters?

A Republican primary in West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District between two incumbents could hang on support for President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure law in the GOP-leaning state.

One of the incumbents, Rep. David McKinley, was among 13 House Republicans to vote for the bill. He cited the state’s “D” infrastructure grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers, saying it would have been a betrayal to vote based on “party politics” on an issue so important to residents.

West Virginia, one of the nation’s poorest states, is slated to get $6 billion in infrastructure money.

The other incumbent, Rep. Alex Mooney, voted against the infrastructure bill and won Trump’s endorsement the day Biden signed the measure into law. Mooney and Trump have called McKinley and other Republicans who voted for the infrastructure bill RINOs, or “Republicans In Name Only.” Mooney called the bill “Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s spending masterplan” and said it will contribute to inflation.

While in Congress, McKinley and Mooney voted together the vast majority of the time. But the infrastructure vote will serve as a test of Trump’s clout in a state that wholeheartedly embraced him in two presidential elections.

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Associated Press writer Leah Willingham in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

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Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte

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Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics

Crowded Field Seeks 3rd District House Seat in West Virginia

Rep. Evan Jenkins’ dream of a U.S. Senate seat has opened a door for other ambitious West Virginia politicians, prompting a rush of contenders for his congressional seat and giving Democrats their best chance for a pickup in the Mountain State.

Eleven candidates are on the ballot in Tuesday’s primaries for the 3rd Congressional District seat Jenkins is vacating, including six current or former state legislators.

Democrats controlled the seat for nearly 40 years under Nick Rahall, who was defeated by the Democrat-turned-Republican Jenkins in 2014. Now four Democrats want to turn that red seat blue, and seven Republicans want to keep it GOP.

West Virginia Wesleyan political history professor Robert Rupp said the 3rd District will be the Democrats’ best chance to pick up a U.S. House seat in West Virginia.

“We’re talking about an open seat now that Evan’s left,” Rupp said. “So that’s automatically attractive.”

The top fundraiser by far among Democrats in the race is state Sen. Richard Ojeda. Rupp calls him a “charismatic candidate” with a powerful story.

A retired Army major, Ojeda’s facial bones were broken when he was attacked at a Logan County political cookout days before the 2016 primary. Jonathan Porter of Holden, was sentenced to up to five years in prison after authorities said he hit Ojeda from behind with a pipe and brass knuckles, then tried to run him over with a pickup truck.

Ojeda defeated a Senate incumbent in that primary and won his seat that November.

This past January, Ojeda’s passionate Senate speech in favor of teachers foreshadowed the fight they would wage over pay and benefits. “When I said that a volcano was about to erupt, we are in that situation,” Ojeda told lawmakers.

West Virginia teachers ultimately won a 5 percent pay increase after a nine-day strike, and their success ignited similar teacher walkouts in other states.

“Ojeda not only made his opinion known, he made his presence known,” Rupp said. “Rather than just saying ‘I’m for the teachers,’ (he’s) there fighting for them.”

Other current state lawmakers in the 3rd District field are Democratic Delegate Shirley Love and Republican Delegates Marty Gearheart, Rupie Phillips and Carol Miller. Former Delegate Rick Snuffer is on the GOP ticket. Snuffer won the 2012 GOP 3rd District primary over two others before losing to Rahall in the general election.

Miller, a bison farmer, small business owner and daughter of the late Ohio Congressman Samuel Devine, raised the most money among the Republicans, doubling the hauls of Phillips and former state Republican Party Chairman Conrad Lucas.

Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats in every county in the 3rd District, which stretches from the Ohio River through the southern coalfields to the Greenbrier Valley. But when President Donald Trump overwhelmingly won West Virginia, he also won a majority of the vote all of these counties, some as high as 84 percent.

Rupp doesn’t see support for Trump or the GOP waning in West Virginia, but he sees an “era of uncertainty” among voters. Their misgivings about career politicians might mean voters are “ready to try something else, and that’s a national angst,” he said.

Congressmen David McKinley from the 1st District and Alex Mooney from the 2nd District are unopposed in the GOP primary.

The 1st District Democratic primary includes Keyser attorney Tom Payne, retired international law firm CEO Ralph Baxter of Wheeling and West Virginia University law professor Kendra Fershee. Federal Election Commission records show Baxter’s campaign has raised $623,000, 10 times more than Fershee. Payne has not submitted a finance report.

Mooney will face either Aaron Scheinberg of Hedgesville or former Hillary Clinton state presidential campaign director Talley Sergent of Charleston in the general election. Scheinberg’s campaign raised $534,000 through mid-April, compared to $256,000 for Sergent.