CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Congressman David McKinley (R-W.Va.) will face a challenge from longtime state Auditor Glen Gainer III in the Nov. 4 general election.
Both were nominated in West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District during Tuesday’s primary election. There were no other Republican or Democratic candidates.
McKinley, 67, is seeking his third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. A former member of the state Legislature and a former state Republican Party chair, the Wheeling man was first elected to Congress in 2010 and, at that time, became only the fourth person to represent the 1st District since 1953. The others were Robert Mollohan, Arch Moore and Alan Mollohan.
He had unsuccessfully run for the Republican nomination for governor in 1996 but lost to Cecil Underwood.
The Democratic nominee has served as auditor since first being elected in 1992. He succeeded his father, Glen Gainer, Jr., who was West Virginia’s auditor from 1977-1993. Gainer, 54, is from Parkersburg. He announced his campaign last November after considering the move for several months.
As of this week, McKinley reportedly had raised $1.3 million for his campaign while records showed Gainer had $236,000 on hand.
The 1st Congressional District covers northern West Virginia and includes parts of Barbour, Brooke, Doddridge, Gilmer, Grant, Hancock, Harrison, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood counties.
It encompasses the cities of Wheeling, Fairmont, Clarksburg and Morgantown.