The 2026 West Virginia Republican Primary is shaping up to be a battle for the control and direction of the State Senate. Nineteen of the 34 seats are up for grabs, and at least 10 races feature candidates who may be willing to challenge the existing power structure.
The outcomes could have a significant impact on the makeup of the legislature’s upper body and pose a threat to the leadership of current Senate President Randy Smith. Several of the most conservative members of the Senate will find themselves in hotly contested races.
For example, in District 1 in the northern panhandle, Joe Eddy, an engineer and former head of Eagle Manufacturing, is signed up to run against incumbent Laura Wakim Chapman. Another far right incumbent, Senator Mike Azinger of District 3, is being challenged by current House of Delegates member Bob Fehrenbacher.
District 2 is an open seat with the retirement of Senator Charlie Clements. Attorney Bob Dobkin has been recruited for that race and he will face off against military veteran and conservative Toby Heaney. Hard right incumbent Senator Jay Taylor in District 14 is getting a challenge from Marc Harman, a veteran politician and a more moderate Republican.
Senator Tom Takubo (R, Kanawha), a more moderate member of the Senate, has taken a lead role in encouraging some of the challengers. He wants to see the body focus more on kitchen table issues. However, he said he would not comment on specific races until after the filing period, which closes Saturday.
Senate President Smith also chose not to comment, saying his focus now is on the legislative session.
Meanwhile, GOP consultant Greg Thomas has played an active role in candidate recruitment. “Over a decade ago, we ran a dozen campaigns against big-government, big spending anti-business liberal Democrats who took all of their money from Democrats and trial lawyers,” he said. “This year we are running about a dozen campaigns against big government, big spending anti-business liberal Republicans who are funded by Democrat trial lawyers.”
Hyperbole aside, the core of the effort is about rallying support for a slate of candidates to redirect the Senate. See the list below.*
The surge of Republican candidates comes at a time when the 32 Republicans in the Senate are divided among two to three factions. Senator Eric Tarr (R, Putnam), a staunch conservative who is up for re-election this year, is critical of the recruitment efforts.
Tarr told me the Senate populists “lack a coherent agenda and are heavily influenced by the trial lawyers,” while Takubo is the leader of a “liberal-leaning contingent.” He said Takubo “recruited like-minded candidates—many from the healthcare sector and with ties to his employer—in an apparent continued bid to secure the Senate presidency.”
Takubo maintains his efforts are more altruistic. He has emerged as an unelected leader of like-minded lawmakers more interested in policy than politics. The outcome of the Republican Senate primaries may well position him to be the next Senate president, but he insists that is not his main purpose as he attempts to redirect the Senate to a more cohesive body that focuses more on issues while minimizing personality conflicts.
The dramatic expansion of the West Virginia Republican Party that fueled super majorities in both the Senate and House meant different factions and leadership challenges were inevitable. The outcome of these challenged Republican Primary races will be a key factor in determining the near-term power distribution and direction of the Republican Party.
*District 1 (Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall): Joe Eddy, engineer and former head of Eagle Manufacturing.
District 2 (Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Doddridge, Marion, Monongalia): Bob Dobkin, attorney with Spilman, Thomas and Battle.
District 3 (Pleasants, Ritchie, Wood, Wirt): Bob Fehrenbacher, engineer and current member of the House of Delegates.
District 5 (Cabell, Wayne): Chris Miller, president of Dutch Miller Automotive and 2024 gubernatorial candidate.
District 6 (Wayne, Mingo, McDowell, Mercer): Joe Disibbio, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Two Virginias.
District 8 (Kanawha, Putnam, Jackson, Wirt, Roane, Clay): Dr. Stephen Eshenhauer, ER physician at Jackson General Hospital and Health officer for the Kanawha Charleston Health Department.
District 9 (Fayette, Raleigh, Wyoming): Dr. Michael Antolini, family doctor and small business owner.
District 14 (Taylor, Preston, Tucker, Grant, Hardy, Mineral): Marc Harman, businessperson and former long-time local politician in Grant County.
District 15 (Hampshire, Morgan, Berkeley): Ken Reed, small business owner, former county commissioner and House of Delegates member.
District 17 (Kanawha): Michael Jarrouj, restaurant owner and operator.