Kanawha County Commissioner Ben Salango defeated Douglas Hughes, Jody Murphy, Stephen Smith, and state Sen. Ron Stollings to win the Democratic primary for governor in West Virginia. As of 11:30 p.m. ET, Salango had received 39% of the vote. Smith was second with 33% and Stollings was third with 14%. No other candidate received more than 10% of the vote.

Salango served on the Kanawha County Commission since 2017. He said his record included creating union jobs, securing paid family leave, and helping seniors get hot meals. He said his priorities as governor would include education, job creation, healthcare, and addressing the opioid issue.

Democrats have won every gubernatorial election in West Virginia since 2000.

Salango will face incumbent Gov. Jim Justice (R) in the general election. Justice was elected in 2016 as a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party in 2017.