HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Congressman-elect Evan Jenkins said Wednesday he wasn’t at all surprised by his 10-point win over 19-term Congressman Nick Rahall Tuesday.
Jenkins, the Cabell County state senator, said internal polling showed him ahead for the last several months.
“It was pretty close during the summer and it started to trend our direction by Labor Day, we were up a few points,” Jenkins said on MetroNews Talkline. “Our polling just seven days out showed us at 9, 10, 11 points up.” He won the race 55-45.
Jenkins was able to stay even or defeat Rep. Rahall in coalfield counties where Rahall has dominated since his first election in 1976. Jenkins won Cabell County, his home county by 2,600 votes and defeated Rahall in the congressman’s home county, Raleigh County, by 4,000 votes. He won 14 of the 18 counties and tied Rahall in Webster County.
Sen. Jenkins said the win was not an election night wonder.
“This was not something that was a miraculous change of heart of the voters in the last few days,” Jenkins maintained.
The congressman-elect also gives a lot of credit to the coattails of U.S. Senator-elect Shelley Moore Capito who defeated Democrat Natalie Tennant by 28 percentage points.
Jenkins said the people of the 3rd District want someone who will fight for them. He said he would do exactly that.
“I think they are going to be able to count on me to vote the right way and we are going to work tooth and nail. We’ll be a member of the majority caucus that will set the agenda,” Jenkins said.