Welcome to the Monday, May 13, Brew.
By: Briana Ryan
Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day:
- West Virginia voters to decide primaries for congressional and state offices tomorrow
- Join the Ballotpedia Society today
- Four Trump-endorsed candidates will appear on primary ballots over the next two weeks
West Virginia voters to decide primaries for congressional and state offices on Tuesday
West Virginia, Maryland, and Nebraska are holding primaries tomorrow. In previous editions of The Brew, we reported on what will be on the ballot in Maryland and Nebraska. Today, we’re looking at West Virginia.
U.S. Senate
Three candidates are running in the Democratic Senate primary, while seven candidates are running in the Republican primary. Incumbent Joe Manchin III (D)announced on Nov. 9, 2023, that he would not run for re-election.
U.S. House
Ten candidates are running for West Virginia’s two U.S. House districts, including three Democrats and seven Republicans. That’s the fewest candidates running for the U.S. House in West Virginia this decade.
- The 2nd Congressional District is the only open race this year. Incumbent Rep. Alexander Mooney (R) is running for the U.S. Senate.
- Six candidates—one Democrat and five Republicans—are running in the open 2nd Congressional District, the most candidates running in a district in West Virginia this year.
- Three primaries—one Democratic and two Republican—are contested this year.
- First Congressional District incumbent Rep. Carol Miller (R) has a contested primary.
Governor
Six candidates are running in the Republican gubernatorial primary: Moore Capito (R), Kevin Christian (R), Chris Miller (R), Patrick Morrisey (R), Mitch Roberts (R), and Mac Warner (R). Incumbent Gov. Jim Justice (R) is running for the U.S. Senate. The Democratic primary is uncontested, and the nominee, Steve Williams (D), will face the Republican primary winner in November.
Other state executive offices
There will be primaries for five other state executive offices tomorrow. Republicans currently serve in all five offices.
- For attorney general, Richie Robb (D) and Teresa Toriseva (D) will compete for the Democratic nomination, while John B. McCuskey (R) and Mike Stuart (R) are vying for the Republican nomination.
- Ken Reed (R), Douglas Skaff Jr. (R), Kris Warner (R), and Brian Wood (R) are running in the Republican primary for secretary of state. The Democratic primary is uncontested, and the nominee, Thornton Cooper (D), will face the Republican primary winner in November.
- Caleb Hanna (R), Eric Householder (R), Mark Hunt (R), and Tricia Jackson (R) are running in the Republican primary for state auditor. The Democratic primary is uncontested, and the nominee, Mary Ann Claytor (D), will face the Republican primary winner in November.
- In the race for treasurer, Larry Pack (R) is running unopposed in the Republican primary. The Democratic primary was canceled because no candidates filed to run.
- Incumbent Kent Leonhardt (R), Joshua Higginbotham (R), and Roy L. Ramey (R) are running in the Republican primary for agriculture commissioner. The Democratic primary is uncontested, and the nominee, Deborah Stiles (D), will face the Republican primary winner in November.
State legislature
All 100 seats in the state House and 17 of the 34 seats in the state Senate are up for election this year. West Virginia has had a Republican trifecta since 2017, when Gov. Jim Justice changed his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican. Republicans currently have an 89-11 majority in the House and a 31-3 majority in the Senate.
- The total number of candidates running this year (244) is less than the 2014-2022 average (303). There are 38 candidates for the Senate (28 Republicans, 9 Democrats, and one Mountain Party) and 208 candidates for the House (145 Republicans, 62 Democrats, and one Libertarian).
- There are 49 contested state legislative primaries this year, the fewest since 2014. Between 2014 and 2022, there were an average of 58 contested primaries in each election year.
- One contributing factor was the limited number of Democratic primaries (four) this year. From 2014-2022, there was an average of 22.2 contested Democratic primaries in each election year. The number of Republican primaries this year (45) was higher than the average of 35.6 over that same span.
State judicial offices
General elections for two seats on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia and one seat on the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals will also take place Tuesday.
- On the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, Justice C. Haley Bunn is running unopposed to retain her seat. State Sen. Charles S. Trump IV is running unopposed for the second seat, which is open.
- Elgine McArdle, Mychal Schulz, and Ryan White are running to fill the open seat on the West Virginia Intermediate Court of Appeals.
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Four Trump-endorsed candidates will appear on primary ballots over the next two weeks
Last week, four candidates former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed won their respective primaries, bringing Trump’s primary endorsement success rate to 96% so far this year.
This figure is based on the 72 primary candidates Trump has endorsed in which the primary is resolved. It does not include the four Texas state legislative races that advanced to a primary runoff.
In 2022, Trump endorsed 241 candidates in primaries, with a 93% success rate. He endorsed 121 candidates in primaries in 2020, with a 97% success rate. In 2018, Trump endorsed 37 candidates in primaries, with a 95% success rate.
Forty-seven of the winning candidates were incumbents, ten were in open seat races, seven were for candidates challenging a Democratic incumbent, and five were for candidates who defeated a Republican incumbent.
Only three of Trump’s endorsees lost so far this year. All three were challengers running against Republican incumbents in the Texas House of Representatives.
As of May 9, Trump has endorsed four candidates in primary and primary runoff elections happening in the next two weeks.
- On May 14, Trump-endorsed Brad Knott (R) will be on the primary runoff ballot for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District. Knott will face Kelly Daughtry (R) in the runoff for the open seat. Daughtry unofficially withdrew from the race on May 2 but will still appear on the ballot.
- West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R), who is running for an open U.S. Senate seat, is the only other Trump-endorsed primary candidate on the ballot on May 14. Justice will face six other primary candidates.
- On May 21, Trump-endorsed Brian Jack (R) will face four other candidates in the Republican primary for Georgia’s 3rd Congressional District. The race is open since incumbent Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-03) did not seek re-election.
- Trump also endorsed incumbent Rep. Hal Rogers (R-05) for re-election in the Republican primary for Kentucky’s 5th Congressional District on May 21. Rogers is running against three other primary challengers.
Looking ahead, we’ve identified 41 other candidates Trump has endorsed in upcoming primary elections. Seven of these endorsements are for the U.S. Senate, 23 are for the U.S. House, nine are for state legislative seats in Texas and Florida, and two are for local offices in Miami-Dade County.