The 2020 West Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the

Governor of West Virginia A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

, elections to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

and various

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and local elections. Incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Governor

Jim Justice James Conley Justice II (born April 27, 1951) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 36th governor of West Virginia since 2017. Justice had a net worth of $1.2 billion in September 2018, making him the wealthiest person ...

announced his 2020 re-election campaign on January 7, 2019. Justice was elected in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, but later switched back to the Republican Party in a campaign rally with

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

. Justice won re-election to a second term, defeating the Democratic nominee,

Kanawha County Kanawha County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charlest ...

commissioner Ben Salango. Justice's re-election made him the first Republican to be elected governor of West Virginia since

Cecil Underwood Cecil Harland Underwood (November 5, 1922 – November 24, 2008) was an American Republican Party politician from West Virginia, known for the length of his career. He was the 25th and 32nd Governor of West Virginia from 1957 to 1961, and fro ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

. Additionally, Justice became the first incumbent Republican governor to win re-election since

Arch A. Moore Jr. Arch Alfred Moore Jr. (April 16, 1923 – January 7, 2015) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from West Virginia. He began his political career as a state legislator in 1952. He was elected the 28th and 30th governor of West Virgi ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

, as well as the first Republican to carry all counties in West Virginia. However, Justice performed worse than Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who outperformed Justice by 5.13 percentage points. Additionally, Ben Salango slightly outperformed Biden by 0.53 percentage points.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

, incumbent

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Eliminated in primary

*Shelby Jean Fitzhugh, retiree *

Michael Folk Michael Craig Folk (born in Martinsburg, West Virginia) is an American politician from West Virginia. A Republican, he was formerly a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 63. Education Folk is a graduate of Hedges ...

, former state delegate *Brooke Lunsford, insurance agent *Chuck Sheedy, U.S. Army veteran *Doug Six, surveyor *Woody Thrasher, former West Virginia Secretary of Commerce (2017–2018)

Declined

Mac Warner Andrew McCoy "Mac" Warner (born February 18, 1955) is an American attorney, veteran, and the current West Virginia Secretary of State. He announced his candidacy for Governor of West Virginia in 2024 on January 10, 2023. Early life and education ...

Secretary of State of West Virginia The Secretary of State (U.S. state government), Secretary of State of West Virginia is an elected office within the U.S. state of West Virginia state government. The secretary of state is responsible for overseeing the state's election process, in ...

''(running for re-election)'' *

David McKinley David Bennett McKinley (born March 28, 1947) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, McKinley was a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from ...

, incumbent U.S. Representative for

West Virginia's 1st congressional district West Virginia's 1st congressional district is currently located in the northern part of the state. It is the most regularly drawn of the state's three districts. As a result of the state's loss of a seat as a result of the 2020 United States c ...

''(running for

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

)''

Polling

Results

West Virginia Governor Republican primary, 2020

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

*Ben Salango,

commissioner

Eliminated in primary

* Stephen Smith, community organizer *

Ron Stollings Ronny Douglas Stollings (born April 24, 1955) is a Democratic member of the West Virginia Senate, who represented the 7th district from 2006 to 2022. The 7th District is based in Southern West Virginia, covering all of Boone, Lincoln, and Loga ...

, state senator * Jody Murphy, businessman *Douglas Hughes, environmental permit writer for

West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection is a government agency of the U.S. state of West Virginia. The Department originated as the Division of Environmental Protection (an agency of the Department of Commerce, Labor and Enviro ...

Declined

Booth Goodwin Robert Booth Goodwin II (born 1971), known commonly as Booth Goodwin, is an American attorney with Goodwin & Goodwin LLP in Charleston, West Virginia. He served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from 2010 un ...

, former

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

and candidate for Governor of West Virginia in

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III (born August 24, 1947) is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia, a seat he has held since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Manchin was the 34th governor of ...

, incumbent U.S. Senator and former Governor of West Virginia

Endorsements

Polling

Results

West Virginia Governor Democratic primary, 2020

Other candidates

Mountain Party

The

Mountain Party The Mountain Party is a political party in West Virginia, affiliated with the Green Party of the United States. It is a progressive and environmentalist party whose party platform primarily focuses on "Grassroots Democracy", "Social Justice & ...

received over 5% of the vote in

with former State Senator and Delegate

Charlotte Pritt Charlotte Jean Pritt (born January 2, 1949) is an American educator, businesswoman, and politician in the U.S. state of West Virginia. From 1984 to 1988, she served in the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing Kanawha County. From 1988 t ...

as the party's gubernatorial nominee. The party nominates its candidate for governor by convention per its bylaws.

Nominee

* Daniel Lutz, Eastern Panhandle Conservation District Supervisor representing Jefferson County, and Commissioned U.S. Air Force Veteran

Endorsements

Libertarian Party

Nominee

* Erika Kolenich, trial attorney

Write-ins

The following candidates are certified write-in candidates.

Declared

* Quintin Gerard Caldwell *

, former State Delegate ''(sought the nomination of the Republican Party)'' * Kimberly Gross * Mitch Roberts * Marshall Wilson, State Delegate ''(Independent)''

General election

Predictions

Endorsements

Polling

;Jim Justice vs. Joe Manchin

Results

Notes

; Partisan clients

References

External links

* * * (State affiliate of the U.S.

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

) * ;Official campaign websites
Jim Justice (R) for Governor

Ben Salango (D) for Governor

Daniel Lutz (M) for Governor

Erika Kolenich (L) for Governor

Michael Folk (I) for Governor

S. Marshall Wilson (I) for Governor
{{2020 United States elections

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...