Former Senate Majority Leader and incumbent Dr. Tom Takubo has emerged as the top target of Political Action Committees closely associated with Governor Patrick Morrisey, which are spending millions of dollars in this year’s primary election.
As of May 5, $691,000 had been spent by the seven PACs being tracked by Metronews. Much of the spending has been in opposition to Takubo.
Takubo, who fell short in his bid to become Senate President in December 2024 to current Senate President Randy Smith, has come to represent a faction of Republicans in the legislature who are generally more focused on business and economic development, job creation, and fiscal responsibility, and less enamored with social issues that have already been settled in West Virginia.
They have also created a major stumbling block for the governor’s agenda.
Over the last two years, Takubo and other like-minded political operatives have gone to work recruiting candidates for this year’s election to refocus the legislature, particularly the state senate, on issues West Virginians care about.
According to the MetroNews West Virginia Poll released in August 2025, 73 percent of West Virginians say state government should spend more time on economic issues than social issues. Sixty-six percent said state government should reduce taxes on businesses to create more jobs in the state.
As the de facto leader of this particular GOP faction, unseating Takubo, who has served in the Senate since 2014, would be a major win for the governor’s interests and send a message to other lawmakers who dare cross him.
Current Senate President Randy Smith stands a better chance of retaining his role if Takubo is no longer around to challenge for the gavel. Even if “Takubo candidates” were successful in upsetting a number of incumbents and potentially flipping the balance of power in the Senate, there is no clear favorite to unseat Smith.
That could leave Smith and his team in leadership roles for the next two years.
A Takubo loss would serve as a warning to others about the fundraising and spending power supporting the Morrisey agenda. Lawmakers on the fence about the governor’s proposals may think twice before opposing them if they know they could be the target of a ruthless primary challenge.
That is all still a big “if.”
There are several days until the primary election and likely tens of thousands of more dollars that will be spent trying to motivate voters to get out to the polls. Although, early indications are voters are not responding in massive numbers to the PACs’ investments. The Secretary of State’s office is reporting just 33,138 ballots cast during the first week of early voting.
Even so, the millions of dollars spent on the primary election could all be worth it, if the PACs are able to capture their top prize.