You may be “numbered out” after the 2020 General Election but, with apologies, here is some additional data about a few of the races in West Virginia based on unofficial results.
–Donald Trump carried all 55 West Virginia counties and won by 39 points. The closest Joe Biden came was in Monongalia County, where Trump won 50 percent to 48 percent. This was the third consecutive presidential election where the Democratic candidate has not won a single county here.
–Trump’s capture of 69 percent of the vote in West Virginia is impressive, and he did better in only one other state. Trump captured 70 percent of the vote in Wyoming, compared with 27 percent for Biden.
–Like Trump, Senator Shelley Moore Capito also won all 55 counties over Democrat Paula Jean Swearengin, and finished with 70 percent of the vote. The closest Swearengin came was in Monongalia County (53-43).
–Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Justice out-distanced Democrat Ben Salango in every county. Salango came within one point of Justice in Monongalia County—48 percent to 47 percent. Salango came within five points in his home county of Kanawha—51 percent to 46 percent.
–The race for state Treasurer was expected to be one of the closer ones, however, Republican Riley Moore ousted six-term incumbent John Perdue 56 percent to 44 percent. Moore won 46 of the 55 counties.
–The races for the five House of Delegates seats from Monongalia County were evenly divided. Long-time Democratic incumbent Barbara Evans Fleischauer led the ticket with 19,534 votes. After her, just 1,100 votes separated the next five candidates. Former Delegate Republican Cindy Frich finished just out of the fifth spot by just 25 votes.
–Voter participation in the 2020 General Election appears to be the second highest in state history, with over 793,000 ballots cast. The Secretary of State’s office reports the highest appears to have been the 1960 General Election, when John F. Kennedy was elected. That year over 837,000 West Virginians voted.
–It is difficult for third party candidates to get traction in West Virginia elections. (They will argue they do not get their fair share of media attention, and there is some truth to that.) Libertarian presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen received just over one percent of the vote, while Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins received just over 2,500 votes.
–West Virginia County Clerks, their staffs, and the Secretary of State’s Office all did outstanding work pulling off a delayed Primary Election and a General Election during a pandemic. However, much will change before the next election because Congressional Districts, House of Delegates and state Senate boundaries will be redrawn based on new census figures.
–And finally, in the category of “it-is-way-too-early-to-ask,” I went ahead and asked Senator Joe Manchin on Talkline Friday whether he plans to run for re-election in 2024, especially given the state’s growing Republican dominance. Just for the record, he said he had not decided yet.