2016 West Virginia gubernatorial election


The 2016 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on May 10.
Incumbent Democratic governor Earl Ray Tomblin was barred from running for a second full term. He had ascended to the governorship upon Joe Manchin's resignation in 2010, won a 2011 special election to complete the term, and won a full term in 2012. Under the West Virginia Constitution, a partial term counts toward the limit of two consecutive terms.
Democratic nominee Jim Justice, a hotelier and coal baron, won the open seat with a plurality of the vote, defeating Republican state senator Bill Cole and former state senator Charlotte Pritt, who ran as a member of the Mountain Party. As of 2024, this is the last time a Democrat was elected governor of West Virginia. Having switched parties in August 2017, Justice was re-elected as a Republican in 2020; his party switch gave Republicans the governorship for the first time since 2001 and a trifecta in the state for the first time since 1931.

Background

In November 2010, Democratic governor Joe Manchin resigned after being elected to the U.S. Senate. Earl Ray Tomblin, the president of the West Virginia Senate, became acting governor, won an October 2011 special election to complete the term, and won a full term in the [West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2012|regularly scheduled 2012 West Virginia gubernatorial election|2012 election]. Tomblin was ineligible to run for re-election in 2016, as the Constitution of West Virginia limits governors to two consecutive terms regardless of whether they are full or partial terms. However, governors are re-eligible after four years out of office.
After publicly speculating he would run for his former office, Manchin was considered a heavy favorite in the 2016 race, but he announced on April 19, 2015, that he would remain in the Senate instead.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Did not file

Declined

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Bill
Cole		David
McKinley		Patrick
Morrisey		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015242± 6.3%15%31%25%29%

Mountain Party

Candidates

Declared

Libertarian Party

Candidates

Declared

  • David Moran, retired engineer and farmer

General election

Debates

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Jim
Justice 		Bill
Cole 		Charlotte
Pritt 		David
Moran 		Phil
Hudok 		Undecided
SurveyMonkeyNovember 1–7, 2016472± 4.6%36%45%13%——6%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 31–November 6, 2016443± 4.6%37%43%13%——7%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 28–November 3, 2016386± 4.6%40%42%12%——6%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 27–November 2, 2016330± 4.6%39%44%10%——7%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 26–November 1, 2016318± 4.6%42%41%12%——5%
SurveyMonkeyOctober 25–31, 2016321± 4.6%42%43%13%——2%
MetroNewsOctober 12–17, 2016408± 4.9%44%33%8%5%—9%
Global Strategy GroupOctober 11–13, 2016N/A± 4.0%44%34%8%2%—12%
NMB ResearchOctober 8–10, 2016N/A± 4.4%39%39%5%2%1%12%
Garin-Hart-YangSeptember 13–17, 2016500± 5.0%46%33%7%4%—10%
Just Win Strategies→September 8–10, 2016600± 4.0%44%42%3%2%2%7%
R.L. Repass & Partners/MetroNewsAugust 9–28, 2016435± 4.7%46%32%8%5%—9%
Global Strategy GroupAugust 1–3, 2016419± 4.8%47%37%———15%
Public Policy PollingApril 29–May 1, 20161,201± 2.8%41%35%———24%
MetroNewsApril 22–May 2, 2016596± 4.0%52%34%———14%
Orion StrategiesFebruary 20–21, 2016306± 5.6%37%33%———30%
MetroNewsFebruary 11–16, 2016411± 4.9%49%39%———12%
Orion StrategiesAugust 24–25, 2015406± 4.9%34%31%———35%

→ Indicates an internal poll conducted by the West Virginia Republican Party for Bill Cole.
with Booth Goodwin

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Booth
Goodwin 		David
McKinley 		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%35%40%25%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Booth
Goodwin 		Patrick
Morrisey 		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%36%36%28%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Booth
Goodwin 		Bill
Cole 		OtherUndecided
MetroNewsApril 22–May 2, 2016596± 4.0%47%39%—14%
Public Policy PollingApril 29–May 1, 20161,201± 2.8%33%39%—28%
Orion StrategiesFebruary 20–21, 2016306± 5.6%33%36%—31%
MetroNewsFebruary 11–16, 2016411± 4.9%43%44%—14%
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%35%37%—27%

with Jeff Kessler

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Jeff
Kessler 		David
McKinley 		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%32%42%26%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Jeff
Kessler 		Patrick
Morrisey 		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%35%38%27%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Jeff
Kessler 		Bill
Cole 		OtherUndecided
MetroNewsApril 22–May 2, 2016596± 4.0%45%39%—16%
Public Policy PollingApril 29–May 1, 20161,201± 2.8%30%40%—30%
Orion StrategiesFebruary 20–21, 2016306± 5.6%30%40%—30%
MetroNewsFebruary 11–16, 2016411± 4.9%40%45%—15%
Orion StrategiesAugust 24–25, 2015406± 4.9%26%37%—37%
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%34%38%—28%

with Joe Manchin

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Joe
Manchin 		Bill
Cole 		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%54%32%14%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Joe
Manchin 		David
McKinley 		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%52%35%12%

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Joe
Manchin 		Patrick
Morrisey 		Undecided
Harper PollingApril 9–11, 2015702± 3.7%58%29%13%
Global Strategy Group*March 15–18, 2015600± 4.0%60%30%10%

  • * Internal poll for Joe Manchin

Results

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

Justice won two of three congressional districts, which both elected Republicans.
DistrictJusticeColePrittRepresentative
45.2%45.4%6%David McKinley
48%43%7%Alex Mooney
55%38%5%Evan Jenkins