West Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2018

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2018 West Virginia
House elections
Flag of West Virginia.png
GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimaryMay 8, 2018
Past election results
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Republicans held their veto-proof majority in the 2018 elections for West Virginia House of Delegates, winning 59 seats to Democrats' 41. All of the chamber's 100 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans held 63 seats to Democrats' 35, with one Independent delegate and one vacancy.

The Republican Party maintained its trifecta in West Virginia in 2018 by holding its majorities in the state Senate and House.

The West Virginia House of Delegates was one of 87 state legislative chambers holding elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

West Virginia state delegates serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

See also: State legislative elections, 2018

The Republican Party maintained supermajority status in both chambers of the West Virginia State Legislature in the 2018 election. In the state Senate, 17 out of 34 seats were up for election. The Republican West Virginia State Senate supermajority was reduced from 22-12 to 20-14. Three Republican incumbents were defeated in the primary and two Republican incumbents were defeated in the general election.

The West Virginia House of Delegates held elections for all 100 seats. The Republican supermajority in the House of Delegates was reduced. Before the election, Republicans held 63 seats, Democrats held 35 seats, an independent held one seat, and one seat was vacant. Following the election, Republicans held 59 seats and Democrats held 41 seats. One Democratic incumbent and one Republican incumbent were defeated in the primary and twelve incumbents were defeated in the general election; four Democrats, seven Republicans, and one independent.

National background

On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.

  • Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.

Want more information?

Candidates

See also: Statistics on state legislative candidates, 2018

General election

West Virginia House of Delegates General Election 2018

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1 (2 seats)

Diana Magnone
Green check mark transparent.pngRandy Swartzmiller

Green check mark transparent.pngPat McGeehan (i)
Mark Zatezalo (i)

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Diserio (i)

Becky Uhlly

Did not make the ballot:
Grace Davis 

Trevor Barnhart (Independent)

District 3 (2 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngShawn Fluharty (i)
Ben Schneider

Green check mark transparent.pngErikka Storch (i)
Dalton Haas

District 4 (2 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Canestraro (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngLisa Zukoff

Charlie Reynolds

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Pethtel (i)

Phillip Wiley

District 6

T. Chris Combs

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Kelly

J. Scott Beaver (Independent)

District 7

Lissa Lucas

Green check mark transparent.pngJason Harshbarger (i)

District 8

David Bland

Green check mark transparent.pngEverette Anderson (i)

District 9

Jim Marion

Green check mark transparent.pngRay Hollen (i)

District 10 (3 seats)

Andy Daniel
Harry Deitzler
J. Morgan Leach

Green check mark transparent.pngVernon Criss (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Kelly (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngThomas Azinger

Did not make the ballot:
Frank Deem (i)

District 11

Sarah Duncan

Did not make the ballot:
James Alan Pickens 

Green check mark transparent.pngRick Atkinson (i)

District 12

Missy Morris

Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Westfall (i)

District 13 (2 seats)

Scott Brewer (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngJoshua Higginbotham (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngScott Cadle

Todd Mullins (Independent)

District 14

Brianne Solomon

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Butler (i)

District 15

Casey Wade Horton

Green check mark transparent.pngGeoff Foster (i)

Theresa Jackson (Independent)

District 16 (3 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngSean Hornbuckle (i)
Dakota Nelson
Matt Spurlock

Green check mark transparent.pngDaniel Linville (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Mandt Jr.
Vera Miller

District 17 (2 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngChad Lovejoy (i)
Jeanette Rowsey

Green check mark transparent.pngMatthew Rohrbach (i)
Joyce Holland

District 18

Karen Nance

Green check mark transparent.pngEvan Worrell

District 19 (2 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngKen Hicks (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Thompson (i)

Mark Ross

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngNathan Brown

District 21

Phyllis White

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Dean (i)

District 22 (2 seats)

Bill Bryant
Gary McCallister

Green check mark transparent.pngZack Maynard (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Jeffries

Jeff Eldridge (i) (Independent)

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngRodney Miller (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Lawrence Lyon 

District 24 (2 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngRalph Rodighiero (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngTim Tomblin

Jordan Bridges
Aaron Stone

District 25

Andy Vance

Green check mark transparent.pngTony Paynter (i)

District 26

Green check mark transparent.pngEd Evans (i)

David Cox

District 27 (3 seats)

Carol Bailey
Phoebe Jeffries Meadows
Lacy Watson

Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Ellington (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn H. Shott (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngEric Porterfield

Karen White (Mountain Party)

District 28 (2 seats)

Andrew Evans
Sandy Shaw

Green check mark transparent.pngRoy G. Cooper (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJeffrey Pack (i)

District 29

Rick Moye (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngBrandon Steele

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngMick Bates (i)

District 31

Richard Snuffer II

Green check mark transparent.pngChristopher Toney

Carlos Walker (Libertarian Party)

District 32 (3 seats)

Melvin Kessler
Luke Lively
Green check mark transparent.pngMargaret Staggers

Green check mark transparent.pngTom Fast (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngKayla Kessinger (i)
Austin Haynes

David Pritt (Mountain Party)  Candidate Connection

District 33

David Walker

Green check mark transparent.pngRoger Hanshaw (i)

District 34

Green check mark transparent.pngBrent Boggs (i)

Logan Thompson

District 35 (4 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Byrd (i)
Renate Pore
James Robinette
Green check mark transparent.pngDouglas Skaff, Jr.

Green check mark transparent.pngMoore Capito (i)
Charlotte Lane (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngEric Nelson (i)
Edward Burgess

District 36 (3 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Robinson (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngLarry Rowe (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngAmanda Estep-Burton

Matthew Jarrett
Ethan Morris
Chris Pritt

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Pushkin (i)

Richard Patrick

District 38

Tom Tull

Green check mark transparent.pngDianna Graves (i)

District 39

David Holmes

Green check mark transparent.pngSharon Lewis Malcolm (i)

Dana Ferrell (Independent)

Did not make the ballot:
Jesse Johnson  (Mountain Party)

District 40

Melissa Riggs Huffman

Green check mark transparent.pngDean Jeffries

District 41

Paul O'Dell Jr.

Green check mark transparent.pngJordan Hill (i)

District 42 (2 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngJeff Campbell (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Lavender-Bowe

Denny Canterbury Sr.
Steve Malcomb

District 43 (2 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Hartman (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngCody Thompson

Mike House  Candidate Connection
William Nestor

District 44

Dana L. Lynch (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngCaleb Hanna

Barbara Daniels (Mountain Party)

District 45

Matthew Kerner

Green check mark transparent.pngCarl Martin

District 46

Bob Stultz

Green check mark transparent.pngPatrick Martin (i)

District 47

Ed Larry

Green check mark transparent.pngChris Phillips

District 48 (4 seats)

Richard Iaquinta (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngTimothy Miley (i)
Robert Garcia
Derek McIntyre  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDanny Hamrick (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngBen Queen (i)
Debra Shrieves
Green check mark transparent.pngTerry Waxman

Will Hyman (Libertarian Party)
Clay Riley (Independent)

District 49

George Allen Abel

Green check mark transparent.pngAmy Summers (i)

District 50 (3 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Caputo (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngLinda Longstreth (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Angelucci

Guy Ward (i)
Phil Mallow

Jon Dodds (Independent)

District 51 (5 seats)

Green check mark transparent.pngBarbara Fleischauer (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngRodney Pyles (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Williams (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngEvan Hansen
Green check mark transparent.pngDanielle Walker

Cindy Frich (i)
Joe Statler (i)
Aaron Metz
Roger Shuttlesworth
Debbie Warner

Harry Bertram (American Freedom Union Party)
Buddy Guthrie (Libertarian Party)

District 52

Gary Knotts

Green check mark transparent.pngTerri Funk Sypolt (i)

District 53

Cory Chase  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngD.R. Jennings (i)

Austin Zuchowski (Libertarian Party)

District 54

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Paul Hott II

District 55

Green check mark transparent.pngIsaac Sponaugle (i)

Jon Hof

District 56

Timothy Ryan

Green check mark transparent.pngGary G. Howell (i)

District 57

Green check mark transparent.pngRuth Rowan (i)

District 58

Bibi Hahn

Green check mark transparent.pngDaryl Cowles (i)

Kent McCumbee (Independent)  Candidate Connection

District 59

John Isner

Green check mark transparent.pngLarry D. Kump

District 60

Green check mark transparent.pngS. Marshall Wilson (i)

District 61

Green check mark transparent.pngJason Barrett (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Anthony Vitale 

District 62

Cynthia Toodle

Green check mark transparent.pngTom Bibby

Did not make the ballot:
Kevin Bolen 

District 63

Sam Brown

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Hardy

Brett Rogers (Libertarian Party)

District 64

Barbara Frankenberry

Green check mark transparent.pngEric Householder (i)

District 65

Green check mark transparent.pngSammi Brown

Jill Upson (i)

District 66

David Dinges

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Espinosa (i)

District 67

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Doyle

Riley Moore (i)


Primary election

The candidate list below is based on a certified primary list provided by the West Virginia Secretary of State on February 13, 2018. The filing deadline for the May primary was on January 27, 2018. (I) denotes an incumbent.[1]

2018 West Virginia House primary candidates
District Democratic Party

Democrat

Republican Party

Republican

Other
1 Diana Magnone Approveda
Randy Swartzmiller Approveda
Patrick McGeehan (I) Approveda
Mark Zatezalo (I) Approveda
2 Phil Diserio (I) Approveda Grace Davis Approveda
3 Shawn Fluharty (I) Approveda Erikka Storch (I) Approveda
Dalton Haas Approveda
Larry Tighe
4 Joe Canestraro (I) Approveda
Lisa Zukoff Approveda
Charlie Reynolds Approveda
5 David Pethtel (I) Approveda Phillip Wiley Approveda
6 T. Chris Combs Approveda David Kelly Approveda
Alex King
7 Lissa Lucas Approveda Jason Harshbarger (I) Approveda
8 David Bland Approveda Everette Anderson (I) Approveda
9 Jim Marion Approveda Ray Hollen (I) Approveda
10 Andy Daniel Approveda
Harry Deitzler Approveda
J. Morgan Leach Approveda
Vernon Criss (I) Approveda
Frank Deem (I) Approveda
John R. Kelly (I) Approveda
Matthew Dodrill
Jim Erlandson
11 James Alan Pickens Approveda Rick Atkinson (I) Approveda
12 Missy Morris Approveda Steve Westfall (I) Approveda
13 Scott Brewer (I) Approveda Joshua Higginbotham (I) Approveda
Scott Cadle Approveda
14 Brianne Solomon Approveda Jim Butler (I) Approveda
15 Casey Wade Horton Approveda Geoff Foster (I) Approveda
Bryan Hastings
16 Sean Hornbuckle (I) Approveda
Dakota Nelson Approveda
Matt Spurlock Approveda
David Fattaleh
Daniel Linville Approveda
John Mandt Jr. Approveda
Vera Miller Approveda
Chris Burger
Jarred Cannon
Steven Davis
Andrew Dornbos
17 Chad Lovejoy (I) Approveda
Jeanette Rowsey Approveda
Christopher Hughart
Matthew Rohrbach (I) Approveda
Joyce Holland Approveda
18 Karen Nance Approveda
Paul Ross
Jerry Tighe
Evan Worrell Approveda
19 Ken Hicks (I) Approveda
Robert Thompson (I) Approveda
Mark Ross Approveda
20 Nathan Brown Approveda
Barry Marcum
No candidate
21 Phyllis White Approveda Mark Dean (I) Approveda
22 Bill Bryant Approveda
Gary McCallister Approveda
Zack Maynard (I) Approveda
Joe Jeffries Approveda
23 Rodney Miller (I) Approveda Lawrence Lyon Approveda
24 Ralph Rodighiero (I) Approveda
Tim Tomblin Approveda
Harry Freeman
George Howes
Susan Shelton Perry
Jordan Bridges Approveda
Aaron Stone Approveda
Allen Lardieri
25 Andy Vance Approveda Tony Paynter (I) Approveda
26 Ed Evans (I) Approveda
Jennifer Vanover
David Cox Approveda
27 Carol Bailey Approveda
Phoebe Jeffries Meadows Approveda
Lacy Watson Approveda
Joe Ellington (I) Approveda
John H. Shott (I) Approveda
Eric Porterfield Approveda
Zane Lawhorn
Mike Swatts
28 Andrew Evans Approveda
Sandy Shaw Approveda
Roy G. Cooper (I) Approveda
Jeffrey Pack (I) Approveda
Ron Cantley
29 Rick Moye (I) Approveda Brandon Steele Approveda
Zachary Meador
30 Mick Bates (I) Approveda No candidate
31 Rick Snuffer Approveda Christopher Toney Approveda
Chanda Adkins (I)
32 Melvin Kessler Approveda
Luke Lively Approveda
Margaret Staggers Approveda
Selina Vickers
Tom Fast (I) Approveda
Kayla Kessinger (I) Approveda
Austin Haynes Approveda
33 David Walker Approveda Roger Hanshaw (I) Approveda
34 Brent Boggs (I) Approveda Logan Thompson Approveda
35 Andrew Byrd (I) Approveda
Renate Pore Approveda
James Robinette Approveda
Douglas Skaff Jr. Approveda
Moore Capito (I) Approveda
Charlotte Lane (I) Approveda
Eric Nelson (I) Approveda
Edward Burgess Approveda
Bill Johnson
36 Andrew Robinson (I) Approveda
Larry Rowe (I) Approveda
Amanda Estep-Burton Approveda
Clint Casto
James Elam
Matthew Jarrett Approveda
Ethan Morris Approveda
Chris Pritt Approveda
37 Mike Pushkin (I) Approveda Richard Patrick Approveda
38 Tom Tull Approveda Dianna Graves (I) Approveda
Cindy Farley
39 David Holmes Approveda
Alex Urban
Sharon Lewis Malcolm (I) Approveda
40 Melissa Riggs Huffman Approveda Dean Jeffries Approveda
Ronald Shamblin
Kenneth Tawney
41 Paul O'Dell Jr. Approveda
Monica Addington
Duane Bragg
Nelson Tinnel
Jordan Hill (I) Approveda
42 Jeff Campbell (I) Approveda
Cindy Lavender-Bowe Approveda
Roger Vannoy
Isaiah Stanley
Denny Canterbury Approveda
Steve Malcomb Approveda
Tyler James Hylton
Andrew Utterback
43 William Hartman (I) Approveda
Cody Thompson Approveda
Phil Isner (I)
Mike House Approveda
William Nestor Approveda
44 Dana Lynch (I) Approveda
Don McCourt
Caleb Hanna Approveda
Elijah Karnes
Barbara Daniels Approveda
(Mountain)
45 Matthew Kerner Approveda Carl Martin Approveda
Bob Kincaid
46 Bob Stultz Approveda Patrick S. Martin (I) Approveda
47 Ed Larry Approveda
Clayton Moore
Robert Johnson
Chris Phillips Approveda
Derek Hart
Lonnie Moore Sr.
Maureen Lasky-Setchell
48 Richard Iaquinta (I) Approveda
Timothy Miley (I) Approveda
Derek McIntyre Approveda
Robert Garcia Approveda
Danny Hamrick (I) Approveda
Ben Queen (I) Approveda
Debra Shrieves Approveda
Terry Waxman Approveda
49 George Allen Abel Approveda Amy Summers (I) Approveda
50 Michael Caputo (I) Approveda
Linda Longstreth (I) Approveda
Michael Angelucci Approveda
George Jarman
Jack Oliver
John Criado
Guy Ward (I) Approveda
Phil Mallow Approveda
51 Barbara Fleischauer (I) Approveda
Rodney Pyles (I) Approveda
John Williams (I) Approveda
Evan Hansen Approveda
Danielle Walker Approveda
Cory Kennedy
Cindy Frich (I) Approveda
Joe Statler (I) Approveda
Debbie Warner Approveda
Roger Shuttlesworth Approveda
52 No candidate Terri Funk Sypolt (I) Approveda
Justin Hough
53 Cory Chase Approveda D.R. Buck Jennings (I) Approveda
Caleb Stutler
54 No candidate John Paul Hott II Approveda
Jason Bowen
Keith Funkhouser
55 Isaac Sponaugle (I) Approveda Jon Hof Approveda
56 Timothy Ryan Approveda
Will Skehan
Gary Howell (I) Approveda
Luke McKenzie
Charles Von Hagel
57 No candidate Ruth Rowan (I) Approveda
58 Bibi Hahn Approveda Daryl Cowles (I) Approveda
59 John Isner Approveda Larry D. Kump Approveda
Tally Ranels Reed
60 No candidate S. Marshall Wilson (I) Approveda
Larry W. Faircloth
61 Jason Barrett (I) Approveda Anthony Vitale Approveda
62 Cynthia Toodle Approveda Kevin Bolen Approveda
Tom Bibby
63 Sam Brown Approveda John Hardy Approveda
Pam Brush
Davy Jones
Samson Wright
64 Barbara Frankenberry Approveda Eric Householder (I) Approveda
Wendy Bird
65 Sammi Brown Approveda Jill Upson (I) Approveda
66 David Dinges Approveda Paul Espinosa (I) Approveda
Reese Clabaugh
67 John Doyle Approveda Riley Moore (I) Approveda
Dan Swisher
Notes • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
• Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

Margins of victory

See also: Margin of victory analysis for the 2018 state legislative elections

A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 West Virginia House of Delegates races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.

The table below presents the following figures for each party:

  • Elections won
  • Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
  • Elections won without opposition
  • Average margin of victory[2]
West Virginia House of Delegates: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis
Party Elections won[3] Elections won by less than 10% Unopposed elections Average margin of victory[2]
Democratic Party Democratic
28
17
5
9.1%
Republican Party Republican
46
15
2
18.9%
Grey.png Other
0
0
0
N/A
Total[4]
67
25
7
15.2%



The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races). Red dots represent Republicans, blue dots represent Democrats, yellow dots represent Libertarians, brown dots represent Mountain Party candidates, and grey dots represent independent candidates or candidates from another third party indicated in a footnote. Candidates are ordered from left to right based on their share of the vote. The margin of victory is the margin between the bottom-place winner and the top-place losing candidate.

West Virginia House of Delegates: 2018 Margin of Victory by District
District Winning Party Losing Party Margin of Victory
West Virginia House of Delegates District 36
Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Republican Party Republican Party
0.1%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 50
Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Republican Party Grey.png
0.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 32
Republican Party Republican Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Democratic Party Democratic Party Green Party#Mountain Party
0.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 48
Democratic Party Republican Party Republican Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party Republican Party Grey.png Libertarian Party
0.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 13
Republican Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Grey.png
0.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 1
Republican Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Democratic Party
0.6%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 16
Democratic Party Republican Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Republican Party Democratic Party
0.7%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 42
Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Republican Party
0.8%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 51
Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Republican Party Republican Party Republican Party Republican Party Libertarian Party Grey.png[5]
0.9%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 43
Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Republican Party
1.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 24
Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Republican Party
1.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 35
Democratic Party Democratic Party Republican Party Republican Party
Republican Party Democratic Party Democratic Party Republican Party
1.6%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 19
Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party
2.0%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 10
Republican Party Republican Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Democratic Party Democratic Party
2.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 4
Democratic Party Democratic Party
Republican Party
3.7%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 29
Republican Party
Democratic Party
4.7%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 55
Democratic Party
Republican Party
4.8%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 65
Democratic Party
Republican Party
5.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 22
Republican Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Grey.png Democratic Party
6.3%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 27
Republican Party Republican Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Democratic Party Green Party#Mountain Party
6.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 39
Republican Party
Democratic Party Grey.png
7.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 63
Republican Party
Democratic Party Libertarian Party
7.8%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 17
Democratic Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Republican Party
8.1%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 52
Republican Party
Democratic Party
8.7%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 3
Republican Party Democratic Party
Republican Party Democratic Party
9.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 28
Republican Party Republican Party
Democratic Party Democratic Party
10.6%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 67
Democratic Party
Republican Party
11.9%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 33
Republican Party
Democratic Party
12.0%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 38
Republican Party
Democratic Party
12.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 12
Republican Party
Democratic Party
12.8%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 2
Democratic Party
Republican Party Grey.png
13.0%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 31
Republican Party
Democratic Party Libertarian Party
15.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 66
Republican Party
Democratic Party
15.6%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 64
Republican Party
Democratic Party
16.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 5
Democratic Party
Republican Party
17.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 41
Republican Party
Democratic Party
17.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 47
Republican Party
Democratic Party
21.1%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 14
Republican Party
Democratic Party
21.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 26
Democratic Party
Republican Party
21.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 11
Republican Party
Democratic Party
21.3%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 46
Republican Party
Democratic Party
23.0%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 59
Republican Party
Democratic Party
23.9%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 8
Republican Party
Democratic Party
24.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 44
Republican Party
Democratic Party Green Party#Mountain Party
24.7%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 53
Republican Party
Democratic Party Libertarian Party
25.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 18
Republican Party
Democratic Party
25.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 49
Republican Party
Democratic Party
25.7%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 21
Republican Party
Democratic Party
27.9%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 40
Republican Party
Democratic Party
30.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 9
Republican Party
Democratic Party
31.2%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 45
Republican Party
Democratic Party
35.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 62
Republican Party
Democratic Party
35.8%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 15
Republican Party
Democratic Party Grey.png
37.5%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 56
Republican Party
Democratic Party
38.1%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 6
Republican Party
Democratic Party Grey.png
42.3%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 58
Republican Party
Democratic Party Grey.png
43.6%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 7
Republican Party
Democratic Party
46.8%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 34
Democratic Party
Republican Party
48.1%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 25
Republican Party
Democratic Party
50.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 37
Democratic Party
Republican Party
55.4%
West Virginia House of Delegates District 30
Democratic Party
None
Unopposed
West Virginia House of Delegates District 57
Republican Party
None
Unopposed
West Virginia House of Delegates District 23
Democratic Party
None
Unopposed
West Virginia House of Delegates District 54
Democratic Party
None
Unopposed
West Virginia House of Delegates District 60
Republican Party
None
Unopposed
West Virginia House of Delegates District 61
Democratic Party
None
Unopposed
West Virginia House of Delegates District 20
Democratic Party
None
Unopposed


Seats flipped

See also: State legislative seats that changed party control, 2018

The below map displays each seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2018, West Virginia House of Delegates
District Incumbent 2018 winner Direction of flip
West Virginia House of Delegates District 1 Republican Party Mark Zatezalo Democratic Party Randy Swartzmiller R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 13 Democratic Party Scott Brewer Republican Party Scott Cadle D to R
West Virginia House of Delegates District 22 Grey.png Jeff Eldridge Republican Party Joe Jeffries Independent to R
West Virginia House of Delegates District 24 Republican Party Rupie Phillips Democratic Party Tim Tomblin R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 29 Democratic Party Rick Moye Republican Party Brandon Steele D to R
West Virginia House of Delegates District 35 Republican Party Charlotte Lane Democratic Party Douglas Skaff, Jr. R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 36 Republican Party Brad White Democratic Party Amanda Estep-Burton R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 42 Republican Party George Ambler Democratic Party Cindy Lavender-Bowe R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 44 Democratic Party Dana L. Lynch Republican Party Caleb Hanna D to R
West Virginia House of Delegates District 48 Democratic Party Richard Iaquinta Republican Party Terry Waxman D to R
West Virginia House of Delegates District 50 Republican Party Guy Ward Democratic Party Michael Angelucci R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 51 Republican Party Cindy Frich Democratic Party Evan Hansen R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 51 Republican Party Joe Statler Democratic Party Danielle Walker R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 65 Republican Party Jill Upson Democratic Party Sammi Brown R to D
West Virginia House of Delegates District 67 Republican Party Riley Moore Democratic Party John Doyle R to D

Incumbents retiring

Seventeen incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018. Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office
Michael Ferro Electiondot.png Democratic House District 4
William Romine Ends.png Republican House District 6
Carol Miller Ends.png Republican House District 16
Kelli Sobonya Ends.png Republican House District 18
Justin Marcum Electiondot.png Democratic House District 20
Rupert Phillips Jr. Ends.png Republican House District 24
Marty Gearheart Ends.png Republican House District 27
Brad White Ends.png Republican House District 36
Tim Armstead Ends.png Republican House District 40
George "Boogie" Ambler Ends.png Republican House District 42
Bill Hamilton Ends.png Republican House District 45
Danny Wagner Ends.png Republican House District 47
Allen V. Evans Ends.png Republican House District 54
Saira Blair Ends.png Republican House District 59
John Overington Ends.png Republican House District 62
Michael Folk Ends.png Republican House District 63

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in West Virginia

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 3, Article 5 of the West Virginia Code

Certificate of announcement, 2013

Political party candidates

Before raising money for a campaign, a candidate must file a pre-candidacy registration form. The form must identify a campaign treasurer, who will be responsible for the campaign's financial transactions. A candidate must file a certificate of announcement declaring his or her candidacy with the West Virginia Secretary of State. The candidate must pay a filing fee, which is calculated as a percentage of the salary of the office sought. The candidate must also file a financial disclosure statement with the West Virginia Ethics Commission within 10 days of filing the certificate of announcement.[6][7][8]

Independent candidates

An independent candidate must gain authorization to collect petition signatures by obtaining an official credentials form from the county clerk in each county in which the candidate wishes to collect signatures. This form must be presented to each voter canvassed or solicited.[6][9]

The candidate must obtain a candidate nomination petition at the time of gaining authorization. The candidate must obtain signatures equaling at least 1 percent of the entire vote cast at the last preceding general election for the office being sought (or at least 25 signatures).[6][10][11]

The candidate must file the certificate of announcement and nominating petition with the appropriate office. An independent candidate must also pay a filing fee (the same as that paid by political party candidates).[6][12]

Write-in candidates

A write-in candidate must file a certificate of announcement with the West Virginia Secretary of State. Write-in candidates are not listed on the ballot, but a list of official write-in candidates is posted at each polling place during early voting and on Election Day.[6]

A write-in candidate is not required to pay a filing fee or collect signatures.[6]

Qualifications

Section 13 of Article 6 of the West Virginia Constitution states, "No person holding any other lucrative office or employment under this state, the United States, or any foreign government; no member of Congress; and no person who is sheriff, constable, or clerk of any court of record, shall be eligible to a seat in the Legislature."

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2023
SalaryPer diem
$20,000/year$75/day for members who commute daily. $175/day for members who do not commute daily.

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

West Virginia legislators assume office on the first day of December following their election.[13]

West Virginia political history

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

Party control

2018

In the 2018 elections, the Republican majority in the West Virginia House of Delegates was reduced from 63-35 to 59-41.

West Virginia House of Delegates
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 35 41
     Republican Party 63 59
     Independent 1 0
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 100 100

2016

In the 2016 elections, Republicans lost one seat from their majority in the West Virginia House of Delegates, going from 64-36 to 63-37.

West Virginia House of Delegates
Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
     Democratic Party 36 37
     Republican Party 64 63
Total 100 100

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans gained control of the state Senate and state House in the 2014 elections, moving West Virginia's state government to divided control. Prior to that, Democrats held a trifecta resulting from the 2000 elections. In 2016, West Virginia elected a Democratic governor, Jim Justice, to a four-year term. On August 3, 2017, Justice announced that he would switch to the Republican Party effective August 4, 2017. Because both the state Senate and state House were majority-Republican, this made West Virginia a Republican state government trifecta.

West Virginia Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Seven years of Republican trifectas

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Governor D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D[14] R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

State legislative wave elections
Year President Party Election type State legislative seats change Elections analyzed[15]
1932 Hoover R Presidential -1,022 7,365
1922 Harding R First midterm -907 6,907
1966 Johnson D First midterm[16] -782 7,561
1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -769 7,179
1958 Eisenhower R Second midterm -702 7,627
2010 Obama D First midterm -702 7,306
1974 Ford R Second midterm[17] -695 7,481
1920 Wilson D Presidential -654 6,835
1930 Hoover R Presidential -640 7,361
1954 Eisenhower R First midterm -494 7,513

Competitiveness

Every two years, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.

Results from 2016

Below is Ballotpedia's 2016 competitiveness analysis. Click here to read the full study »

CA 2016 Overview.png

Historical context

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

There are no pivot counties in West Virginia. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won West Virginia with 68.5 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 26.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, West Virginia cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, West Virginia supported Democratic and Republican candidates for president equally. West Virginia favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in West Virginia. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[18][19]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won four out of 67 state House districts in West Virginia with an average margin of victory of 13.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won one out of 67 state House districts in West Virginia with an average margin of victory of 34.4 points.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 63 out of 67 state House districts in West Virginia with an average margin of victory of 31.9 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 66 out of 67 state House districts in West Virginia with an average margin of victory of 46.8 points.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing By Office: 2018 Primary," accessed January 29, 2018
  2. 2.0 2.1 Excludes unopposed elections
  3. Defined as the number of districts where at least one of this party's candidates won.
  4. These numbers are lower than the sum of the figures found in the above rows due to the presence of multimember districts.
  5. American Freedom Union
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Running for Office in West Virginia," accessed December 10, 2013
  7. West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-8-5(e)," accessed December 10, 2013
  8. West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-8," accessed December 10, 2013
  9. West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-23," accessed December 10, 2013
  10. West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-23," accessed December 10, 2013
  11. West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-24," accessed December 10, 2013
  12. West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-8," accessed December 10, 2013
  13. West Virginia Constitution, "Article IV, Section 7," accessed February 9, 2021
  14. Gov. Jim Justice switched his registration to Republican on August 4, 2017.
  15. The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
  16. Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
  17. Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
  18. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  19. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


Current members of the West Virginia House of Delegates
Leadership
Majority Leader:Eric Householder
Minority Leader:Sean Hornbuckle
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
Vacant
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
Mark Dean (R)
District 35
District 36
S. Green (R)
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
Vacant
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
Tom Clark (R)
District 49
District 50
District 51
Tom Fast (R)
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
JB Akers (R)
District 56
District 57
District 58
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
Republican Party (87)
Democratic Party (11)
Vacancies (2)