Governor Tomblin Wins Re-Election

A look at the Tomblin headquarters as election results came in Tuesday night.
West Virginia Governor Early Ray Tomblin defeated Republican challenger Bill Maloney in Tuesday’s election. Tomblin maintained a six to eight percent lead over Maloney for much of the evening as the results continued to come in.
“It’s amazing to think about what has happened in the past 24 months and how much of my great state I’ve gotten to see during this period of time,” Tomblin said. “I have truly enjoyed traveling and talking to so many residents of West Virginia.”
Tomblin has faced a couple of devastating storms in the past several months in the state.
“Tonight’s result is proof that West Virginians want to come together to move our state forward,” Tomblin said. “They appreciate ideas, value experience and want our state to continue to move forward. They want more jobs and lower taxes.”
Maloney, meanwhile, congratulated Tomblin on the win.
“This was a hard fought campaign, but now it’s time to come together for a better state,” Tomblin said. “I want to ask all of you to work with Governor Tomblin to help create a better state of West Virginia.”
Tomblin defeated Maloney on Tuesday 51 percent to 46 percent. The two had previously squared off in October of 2011 in the Special Election as Tomblin edged Maloney, a Morgantown businessman relatively new to politics, by 7,546 votes.
At the time, the two were running for the remaining time on the term former Governor Joe Manchin had held before being elected to the U.S. Senate to take the seat left vacant by the 2010 death of longtime U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd.
Tomblin, who is a native of Logan County, took over as Acting Governor in 2010 when Manchin moved to Washington, D.C. At the time, Tomblin said he thought the state Constitution would allow him to serve until this year when the full gubernatorial term is on the ballot.
However, the state Supreme Court ordered the 2011 Special Election, which Tomblin won.
Up until his move to the Governor’s Mansion, Tomblin had served as Senate President since 1995. He was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1974 and the Senate in 1980.