Senate President Randy Smith says he intends to seek that position again, but he acknowledges deep divisions among members of the Republican supermajority.
“We’re having to get through the President’s election again. Every two years we elect the Senate president. You know, I’m going to run again this time for Senate president,” Smith, R-Tucker, during an appearance on “Talk of the Town” on WAJR Radio.
“I have the support, and we picked up about four seats or four votes that we didn’t have the last time I ran for Senate president. But you know, there’s always someone that’s wanting a job, so there’d be another election going on with that.”
Republicans have had a 32-2 majority in the Senate the past couple of years, but factions have divided the chamber.
That equilibrium may continue because many of the incumbent Republicans were winners again on election night. Incumbent Senator Kevan Bartlett, a Republican, lost to Kanawha County Commissioner Lance Wheeler. More changes could occur after the general election.
“You know, there’s two factions in the Senate. I mean, you know, not going to lie about it,” Smith said.
“They’re all good people. They just have different ways of looking at things. And everyone has different priorities. And I look for us to, you know, we’re coming together.”
Smith, the current Senate president, was not on the ballot this cycle — but many of his supporters were. Smith emerged as Senate president two years ago after a three-way internal battle with former Majority Leader Tom Takubo and former Finance Chairman Eric Tarr.
The big divide during this primary election cycle was between supporters of Smith (“Team Randy”) and candidates aligned with Takubo.
“It was a pretty contested election, and you know, it was one of the most stressful elections I’ve been involved in, including my own,” Smith said in the radio interview.
“I wasn’t on the ballot this year, but I had several of my members who, you know, supported me for Senate president that were on the ballot. And every one of them had a candidate recruited against them. So we had like, 12 races that we were trying to to win.”
Takubo survived a primary election challenge that was powered by hundreds of thousands of dollars in political action committee spending associated with Gov. Patrick Morrisey and, by extension, Smith’s allies.
In turn, Takubo had aligned with a slate of challengers aiming to knock off many of Smith’s allies who were up for election this cycle. Political action committees associated with that effort also spent big. Mostly, those challenges were not successful.
With the exception of Bartlett’s loss, incumbents prevailed.
So the result has been equilibrium but with bad feelings.
“But you know this was just unnecessary. It was grotesque. And to think that the governor of the State of West Virginia and the president of the state Senate was complicit in this,” Takubo said on MetroNews Talkline.
“This was their plan of attack. It wasn’t talking about issues. It wasn’t talking about anything else. It was just an entire strategy based on let’s lie and make it as bad and grotesque as we can so that it just absolutely sickens people so that they don’t come out and vote.”
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., endorsed many of the candidates on Takubo’s side of the primary election. Capito had her own primary race and defeated several challengers including state Senate Judiciary Chairman Tom Willis.
In a briefing with West Virginia reporters, Capito discussed the tone of the most recent election.
“I think infighting within a party is destructive in and of itself. But now that the primary’s over, I hope that we can all join together and support our parties. I think that’s what you’re seeing now,” Capito said.
“But I think when you get into personal attack ads and start calling people names, it’s harder to heal and and so I think time will tell.”