West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2024

	← 2020
Governor of West Virginia
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: January 27, 2024
	Primary: May 14, 2024; General: November 5, 2024; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Jim Justice (R)
How to vote
	Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Voting in West Virginia
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Solid Republican; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican; Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2024; Impact of term limits in 2024; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
West Virginia; executive elections
	Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; Auditor; Treasurer; Agriculture Commission

West Virginia 2024 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • House of Delegates • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • How to run for office

West Virginia is holding an election for governor on November 5, 2024. The primary was May 14, 2024. The filing deadline was January 27, 2024.

This is one of 11 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2024. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office elected in all 50 states. There are currently 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 11 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2024.

Heading into the 2024 elections, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. There are 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.

Ballotpedia identified the May 14 Republican primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Governor of West Virginia

Steve Williams, Patrick Morrisey, S. Marshall Wilson, Erika Kolenich, and Chase Linko-Looper are running in the general election for Governor of West Virginia on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Steve Williams (D)
		Patrick Morrisey (R)
		S. Marshall Wilson (Constitution Party)
		Erika Kolenich (L)
		Chase Linko-Looper (Mountain Party)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of West Virginia

Steve Williams advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of West Virginia on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Williams	100.0	89,576

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 89,576
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of West Virginia on May 14, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Patrick Morrisey	33.3	75,146
	Moore Capito	27.5	62,224
	Chris Miller	20.4	46,062
	Mac Warner	16.0	36,199
	Mitch Roberts	1.4	3,142
	Kevin Christian	1.4	3,093

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 225,866
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Rashida Yost (R)
John B. McCuskey (R)

Mountain Party primary election

Mountain Party primary for Governor of West Virginia

Chase Linko-Looper advanced from the Mountain Party primary for Governor of West Virginia on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Chase Linko-Looper	100.0	382

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 382
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Steve Williams

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Steve Williams. I am the unopposed Democratic candidate for Governor of the State of West Virginia. I am a native West Virginia. I was born in Bluefield, WV and grew up through age 16 in Athens, WV. My father was head football coach at Concord University. My mother was an early childhood elementary school teacher. My dad grew up in McDowell County and my mother grew up in Mercer County. Both of my grandfathers were coal miners. When my dad quit coaching at Concord he went to Virginia Tech to get his doctorate degree and upon completion he was offered a job to be a professor at Marshall University. At age 16 my family moved to Huntington. I graduated from Huntington High School and was offered a football scholarship at Marshall University. I was a member of the Young Thundering Herd which followed the tragic plane crash that killed the Marshall football team, staff, and boosters. Upon graduating with honors from Marshall, I attended West Virginia University and received a Masters Degree. My professional life has included being a Director of the Putnam County Development Authority, Director of Economic Development and City Manager of the City of Huntington. I served 4 terms in the WV House of Delegates, In 2008 I was elected to Huntington City Council and in 2012 I was elected Mayor of Huntington. I am the only three term mayor ever elected in the City of Huntington. I am running for Governor because our success in Huntington can be instructive for the state."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Freedom is on the ballot.

We will set standards that the rest of the nation will seek to emulate.

We must expect more out of ourselves. We can compete with anyone in the world. In order to compete and to be a top producing state we have to be aggressive in our aspirations and again expect to set standards that the rest of the nation will seek to follow. We create unimaginable success by being collaborative and placing aside political parties and insist on results. My mantra is "Make No Little Plans". We need to challenge ourselves to make a difference in each other's lives.

Patrick Morrisey

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: Attorney General of West Virginia (2013-present)

Biography: Morrisey earned a B.A. from Rutgers College-New Brunswick and a J.D. from Rutgers University-Newark. His professional experience includes working in healthcare and regulatory policy. He was a deputy staff director and chief healthcare counsel for the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. He was the principal liaison for the committee on healthcare issues to the White House, the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services.

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Morrisey said he supports America First policies, a term often associated with the platform of former President Donald Trump (R) and candidates who say they support Trump's agenda.

On West Virginia's abortion law, which does not allow abortions except for cases in which there is a medical emergency, Morrisey said, "west Virginia has a strong law right now. I'm going to defend that law and I would work with the legislature to make things even stronger, but not only to protect more innocent life, to think about when babies are born how we can care for them afterwards."

He said he would prioritize reducing taxes and economic regulations so West Virginia can compete in a "back-yard brawl" with its neighboring states.

Show sources

Sources: Election 2024: West Virginia Republican gubernatorial debate; Patrick Morrisey for Governor, "About Patrick," accessed March 4, 2024 The West Virginia Record, "Morrisey files to run for AG," accessed March 4, 2024

Erika Kolenich

Party: Libertarian Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Erika is a resident of Upshur County where she lives with her husband, Karl. Their daughter, Iris, is a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and resides in Clarksburg. Erika was raised in West Virginia, the daughter of small business owners. Her parents taught her work ethic and personal responsibility at an early age. Erika graduated from Buckhannon-Upshur High School in 1997. While attending high school, she was a member of the band and frequently participated in extracurricular events such as theatre and Youth in Government. Upon graduating high school, Erika attended West Virginia Wesleyan College where she double majored in Dramatic Arts and Political Science. She then attended law school at the University of Akron. After passing both the Ohio and West Virginia bar exams, Erika returned to West Virginia and began practicing law at a litigation firm in Wheeling. Shortly thereafter, she made the jump to open her own practice in Upshur County. Erika is now the managing member of Klie Law Offices, PLLC. The firm that she now runs with her husband has three locations and employees thirty people. Erika enjoys volunteering for a variety of community and civic organizations from theatre to Head Start and the Chamber of Commerce. In her free time Erika enjoys physical activity and hiking the mountains of West Virginia with her family and their dog. She also enjoys traveling but has always found that nothing feels better than returning home to West Vi"

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

We need to eliminate unnecessary business regulations and licensing in West Virginia. We do not have a level playing field for local businesses and large out of state companies that get courted by state officials to locate here. The government offers deals to large out of state corporations to lure them to our state and the taxpayers foot the bill for that. If we did not have regulation and taxes that made it overly restrictive for business to operate, we would have an environment that would naturally attract business.

One of the biggest problems we face today is that many things that should not be considered crimes are labeled as crimes. Worse yet, many of these non-violent actions are punished more harshly than are violent crimes. Only actions that involve force or fraud should be labeled as “crimes”. Such crimes should be prosecuted and punished by our justice system but that actions that don't involve force or fraud should not be criminalized or penalized in the first place. Further, the "State of Emergency" and the resulting lawsuits in our jails is unacceptable.

West Virginia's most important resource is our children. Education of our children is the cornerstone to our society. Parents and teachers are in the best position to determine the needs of our students. We must give teachers the ability to use their degrees in the classroom. Parents must have the full choice to determine which education is the best for their child and their family. Whether, this means public school, home school, a charter school, a private school or a co-op; the only job of the government should not stand in the way of education.

Chase Linko-Looper

Party: Mountain Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "My name is Chase Linko-Looper. I am a Mountain Party candidate for Governor of West Virginia in the 2024 election. I am a disabled combat veteran who served over nine years in the U.S. Army with a tour in Afghanistan. I am also an activist who wants to protect the environment, end the wqar on drugs, and create a more just and sustainable society. If elected, I will be the youngest Governor in the state's history at 30 years old."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I am a Mountain Party candidate who endorses the Green New Deal and aim to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice through direct action.

I am a disabled combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and wants to support other veterans and their families.

I am an activist who wants to protect the environment, end the drug war, and create a more just and sustainable society.

Voting information

See also: Voting in West Virginia

Election information in West Virginia: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 15, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 15, 2024
Online: Oct. 15, 2024

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 30, 2024
By mail: Received by Oct. 30, 2024
Online: Oct. 30, 2024

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 23, 2024 to Nov. 2, 2024

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

K.A.

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.^[1]
Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Race ratings: West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	September 3, 2024	August 27, 2024	August 20, 2024	August 13, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/ErikaKolenich2024.jpg

Erika Kolenich (L)

We need to eliminate unnecessary business regulations and licensing in West Virginia. We do not have a level playing field for local businesses and large out of state companies that get courted by state officials to locate here. The government offers deals to large out of state corporations to lure them to our state and the taxpayers foot the bill for that. If we did not have regulation and taxes that made it overly restrictive for business to operate, we would have an environment that would naturally attract business.

One of the biggest problems we face today is that many things that should not be considered crimes are labeled as crimes. Worse yet, many of these non-violent actions are punished more harshly than are violent crimes. Only actions that involve force or fraud

should be labeled as “crimes”. Such crimes should

be prosecuted and punished by our justice system but that actions that don't involve force or fraud should not be criminalized or penalized in the first place. Further, the "State of Emergency" and the resulting lawsuits in our jails is unacceptable.

West Virginia's most important resource is our children. Education of our children is the cornerstone to our society. Parents and teachers are in the best position to determine the needs of our students. We must give teachers the ability to use their degrees in the classroom. Parents must have the full choice to determine which education is the best for their child and their family. Whether, this means public school, home school, a charter school, a private school or a co-op; the only job of the government should not stand in the way of education.

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/ChaseLinkoLooper2023.jpg

Chase Linko-Looper (Mountain)

I am a Mountain Party candidate who endorses the Green New Deal and aim to promote social, racial, economic, and environmental justice through direct action.

I am a disabled combat veteran who served in Afghanistan and wants to support other veterans and their families.

I am an activist who wants to protect the environment, end the drug war, and create a more just and sustainable society.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jim Justice (R)	63.5	497,944
	Ben Salango (D)	30.2	237,024
	Erika Kolenich (L)	2.9	22,527
	S. Marshall Wilson (Independent) (Write-in)	1.9	15,120
	Daniel Lutz Jr. (Mountain Party)	1.4	11,309
	Michael Folk (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	199
	Mitch Roberts (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	152
	Quintin Gerard Caldwell (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	6
	Kimberly Gross (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	6

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 784,287
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ben Salango	38.7	74,554
	Stephen Smith	33.8	65,056
	Ron Stollings	13.3	25,686
	Jody Murphy	9.3	17,968
	Douglas Hughes	4.8	9,201

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 192,465
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jim Justice	62.8	133,026
	H. Woody Thrasher	18.3	38,796
	Michael Folk	12.5	26,461
	Doug Six	2.1	4,419
	Larry Brooke Lunsford	1.8	3,844
	Shelby Fitzhugh	1.3	2,762
	Charles Sheedy	1.2	2,535

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 211,843
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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West Virginia Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jim Justice	49.09%	350,408
	Republican	Bill Cole	42.30%	301,987
	Mountain Party	Charlotte Jean Pritt	5.89%	42,068
	Libertarian	David Moran	2.15%	15,354
	Constitution Party	Phil Hudok	0.57%	4,041
Total Votes				713,858
Source: West Virginia Secretary of State

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2024
State	Office	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Qualifications
West Virginia	Governor	K.A.	$500.00	1/27/2024	Source	Must be a citizen of the United States. Must be a resident of West Virginia for at least five years preceding the election. Must be a duly qualified elector of West Virginia. Must be at least 30 years old.

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for West Virginia, 2024
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
West Virginia's 1st	Carol Miller	Republican	R+23
West Virginia's 2nd	Alexander Mooney	Republican	R+22

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, West Virginia^[5]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
West Virginia's 1st	28.8%	69.7%
West Virginia's 2nd	30.6%	67.6%

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

West Virginia county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	55	100.0%
Total voted Democratic	0	0.0%
Total voted Republican	55	100.0%

U.S. Senate election results in West Virginia
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	70.3%	27.0%
2018	49.6%	46.3%
2014	62.1%	34.5%
2012	60.8%	36.5%
2010	53.5%	43.4%
Average	59.3	37.5

Gubernatorial election results in West Virginia
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	63.5%	30.2%
2016	49.1%	42.3%
2012	50.5%	45.7%
2011	49.6%	47.1%
2008	69.8%	25.7%
Average	56.5	38.2

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from West Virginia
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	1	2	3
Independent	1	0	1
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	2	4

State executive officials in West Virginia, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jim Justice
Secretary of State	Mac Warner
Attorney General	Patrick Morrisey

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	3
	Republican Party	31
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		34

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Governor	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D^[6]	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Demographic Data for West Virginia
	West Virginia	Vereinigte Staaten
Population	1,793,716	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	24,041	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	91.4%	65.9%
Black/African American	3.4%	12.5%
Asian	0.8%	5.8%
Native American	0.1%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0%	0.2%
Two or more	3.7%	8.8%
Hispanic/Latino	1.8%	18.7%
Bildung
High school graduation rate	88.4%	89.1%
College graduation rate	22.7%	34.3%
Income
Median household income	$55,217	$75,149
Persons below poverty level	11.9%	8.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

West Virginia	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis

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West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2024