WEST VIRGINIA
      Nov. 8, 2016 Governor

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+Jim Justice (D)
 350,408
 49.09%
Bill Cole (R)
 301,987
 42.30%
Charlotte Pritt (M)
 42,068
 5.89%
David Moran (L)
 15,354
 2.15%
Phil Hudok (C)
 4,041
 0.57%

713,858
Registration: 1,274,887
 Plurality 48,421 votes (6.79 percentage points).
WV Secretary of State



Notes: Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) was term-limited.  Billionaire coal operator and agriculture businessman Jim Justice ("West Virginia's richest man") won the May 10 Democratic primary with 51.37% of the vote over former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin and Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler, while Bill Cole, president of the West Virginia Senate and owner of Bill Cole Automall, was unchallenged for the Republican nomination.  Charlotte Pritt, who was the 1996 Democratic nominee for Governor, ran as the Mountain Party nominee and David Moran (L) and Phil Hudock (C) rounded out the field.  Although Trump/Pence routed Clinton/Kaine by 42.15 percentage points, Justice, running as a conservative Democrat, was able to counter the tide and win.

Justice and Cole debated twice, on Oct. 4 at the Clay Center in Charleston sponsored by the West Virginia Press Association and AARP West Virginia and broadcast on West Virginia Public Broadcasting (>) and on Oct. 11 at the West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston sponsored by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association and CityNet.

WVPB reported that the Justice campaign spent $5.1 million; he loaned his campaign $3.8 million and received $1.6 million in contributions.  Cole's campaign spent $2.8 million and was backed by $3.7 million from the Republican Governors Association (>).

For Democrats victory would prove short-lived as Gov. Justice switched to the Republican Party on Aug. 3, 2017 (>).


Campaign Manager:
Jim Justice: Derek Scarbro
Senior account executive at Orion Strategies, March-May 2015.  Government affairs manager at Lewis Glasser Casey & Rollins, PLLC, March-Dec. 2014.  Executive director of the West Virginia Democratic Executive Committee, Aug. 2003-March 2013.  Workforce development specialist for the West Virginia Development Office, 2000-03; started as an intern.  Bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs from Marshall University, 2003.

Bill Cole: Chuck Flannery
Political director/assistant campaign manager on Shelley Moore Capito's 2014 U.S. Senate race.  Campaign manager on Capito's 2012 re-election to Congress.  Started with Capito in 2007 and served as legislative aide and field representative.  (Bryan Reed was brought in to serve as campaign manager in June 2016 but resigned after several months and leadership reverted to Flannery).


See also:
Mason Adams.  "Is West Virginia Holding America's Weirdest Election."  Politico Magazine, Sept. 21, 2016.





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