Tom Takubo is a

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 ...

member of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in t ...

, representing the 17th district since January 14, 2015. Takubo also serves as Majority Leader of the West Virginia Senate, succeeding

Ryan Ferns Ryan James Ferns (born December 2, 1982) is an American politician from the state of West Virginia. He was a member of the West Virginia Senate for the 1st district. Ferns was defeated for reelection in 2018 by Democratic candidate William J. Ih ...

who was defeated in the

2018 West Virginia Senate election Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number), the natural number following 17 and preceding 19 * one of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short ...

. Takubo's mother is from Logan County and his biological father was from Japan. Takubo's parents divorced when he was a child, and his mother remarried. He attended

Marshall University Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The university is currently composed of nine colleges ...

and received his D.O. from the

West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) is a public medical school located in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Founded in 1974, WVSOM is one of three medical schools in West Virginia and the sole institution that grants the Doctor of Os ...

. He is a business owner and serves on the medical faculty for

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

. Takubo has three children. He lives in the Southridge area of South Charleston.

Election results

2018: Takubo ran for re-election in 2018 and was unopposed in the May Republican primary. Takubo faced Terrell Ellis, a longtime

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

community and economic developer, in the November general election. Despite being outspent in the race, Takubo beat Ellis by a slim 52.5%-47.5% margin to win a second term. 2014: After 16 years in the Senate, Democratic Senator and small business owner Brooks McCabe retired, leaving an open seat in District 17. Takubo, a doctor and small business owner, ran for the seat and faced Lance Wheeler in the Republican primary. Takubo beat Wheeler by a 68%-32% margin to advance to the November general election, where he faced Democratic nominee Delegate and Assistant Majority Whip Doug Skaff and Mountain Party nominee Jesse Johnson. Takubo beat Skaff and Johnson as part of a Republican wave election that saw Republicans take both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature for the first time in eight decades. *

References

1971 births 21st-century American politicians American osteopathic physicians Living people Marshall University alumni People from South Charleston, West Virginia Physicians from West Virginia Politicians from Columbus, Ohio West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine alumni Republican Party West Virginia state senators American politicians of Japanese descent Asian conservatism in the United States {{WestVirginia-politician-stub