CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Candidates for West Virginia’s May 10 Primary Election have until midnight Saturday to file.
The latest filing information is found on the Secretary of State’s website.
The election will be the first in the state since the 2020 Census and the congressional and legislative redistricting that followed.
The legislature decided to go with all single member districts in the House of Delegates. Voters will be casting ballots in 100 separate districts instead of what used to be 67 districts. All House seats are up for election this year.
There are 17 of the Senate’s 34 seats up for election.
The state now has only two congressional districts and both will have contested races in the May election.
Current U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-Cabell, is seeking reelection in what is now the First Congressional District. As of Friday afternoon, there were 5 other candidates seeking the Republican nomination including Scott Fuller of Kenova; James Houser of Mount Nebo; Zane Lawhorn of Princeton; Rhonda Hercules of Wheeling; and Kent Stevens of Milton.
Bluefield resident Lacy Watson was the only Democrat to have filed for the race as of Friday afternoon.
The newly formed Second Congressional District will feature a Republican primary match-up between sitting Congressmen David McKinley and Alex Mooney.
Republicans Susan Buchser-Lochocki of Morgantown and Mike Seckman of West Union have also filed.
Democrats Angela Dwyer of Martinsburg and Barry Wendell of Morgantown will seek the Democrat Party’s nomination.
In the state Senate, as of Friday afternoon, 4th District Sen. Eric Tarr, R-Putnam; 5th District Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell; 11th District Sen. Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur; 15th District Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan; and 17th District Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, faced no opposition in either the primary or general elections.
There were two more Senate seats, open in this election, District 12 and District 15 that had only one candidate, both are current members of the House of Delegates. Del. Ben Queen, R-Harrison, is seeking the 12th District seat while Del. Jason Barrett, R-Berkeley, will be on the ballot in the 15th District race.
The 100 races in the House will feature several contested match-ups in the primary with the potential of current delegates going head-to-head in the November General Election.
The Secretary of State’s Office at the state capitol and a handful of satellite locations will be open until midnight Saturday for in-person candidate filing. Candidates can also file by mail as long as it’s postmarked by the midnight Saturday deadline.
The official ballot will be set in the days ahead.