West Virginia 2011 Election Results

West Virginia held its general election on October 4, 2011, deciding the office of Governor.

Highlights

• Democrats held the governor's office, and with it full control of state government, as acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) edged a Republican newcomer, Bill Maloney (R), by about 2.5 points, roughly 7,500 votes, in an October 4 special election. The win bought him only the last 14 months of former Gov. Joe Manchin's term; he would have to run again in 2012 for a full four-year term.
• The vacancy opened when Manchin, then in his second term as governor, won the U.S. Senate seat of the late Robert C. Byrd. Tomblin, the state Senate president, began acting as governor when Manchin resigned, and the state Supreme Court ordered that an elected governor take office within a year of Manchin's departure. Both nominees emerged from crowded May primaries: Tomblin beat House Speaker Rick Thompson (D) and Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D), and Maloney, in his first bid for elected office, beat former Secretary of State Betty Ireland (R).
• Republicans tried to make the race about President Obama. The Republican Governors Association poured $3.4 million into the race for Maloney, a former drilling company executive who had helped plan the rescue of 33 trapped Chilean miners, running ads that accused Tomblin of implementing "Obamacare". One analyst said "Obama was the factor" in making it close, while Democrats credited Tomblin with withstanding attempts to nationalize the race. Bob Henry Baber (Mountain) took about 2 percent.
• With no legislative seats up, Democrats kept their 65-35 House of Delegates and 28-6 Senate majorities.

Legislature

• House of Delegates (100 seats): 65 D, 35 R before the election, 65 D, 35 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
• Senate (34 seats): 28 D, 6 R before the election, 28 D, 6 R after; control stayed with Democrats.

Statewide races