The 1996 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

, who had previously been the

from 1957 to 1961, defeated Democratic State Senator

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 ...

. Concurrently, the state voted the opposite way federally, choosing Democratic U.S. Presidential nominee, incumbent

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

over

nominee

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his te ...

in the Presidential election that year. Pritt was the first woman to secure the West Virginia gubernatorial nomination of either of the two major political parties. This was the last election in which a Republican was elected Governor of West Virginia until

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- ...

. Former Republican

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 ...

was elected in the 2016 election as a Democrat and later switched back to the Republican Party seven months into his term, making him the first Republican governor since 2001 when Underwood left office.

Democratic primary

Candidates

, Former State Senator and Candidate in

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

Joe Manchin III 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 o ...

, State Senator * Jim Lees, Attorney * Larrie Bailey, Former State Treasurer * Bobbie Edward Myers * Lyle Sattes * Bob Henry Baber * Louis J. Davis * Frank Rochetti * Richard E. Moon * Fred Schell

Republican primary

Candidates

, Former Governor and nominee for U.S. Senate in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

Jon McBride Jon Andrew McBride (born August 14, 1943), is a retired NASA astronaut and American naval officer. Over the course of his career with the United States Navy, McBride served as an aviator, a fighter pilot, a test pilot, and an aeronautical engi ...

, Retired Astronaut, Navy Veteran, and Businessman *

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 ...

, Former State Delegate, and Former State Party Chair

Democratic primary

Candidates

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

References

See also