Patricia Rucker
Patricia Rucker (Republican Party) is a member of theWest Virginia State Senate, representingDistrict 16. She assumed office in 2016. Her current term ends on December 1, 2028.
Rucker (Republican Party) ran for re-election to theWest Virginia State Senate to representDistrict 16. She won in the general election onNovember 5, 2024.
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Rucker was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Government Organization Committee,Chair
- Senate Health and Human Resources Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
2023-2024
Rucker was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Health and Human Resources Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Outdoor Recreation Committee
- Senate School Choice Committee,Chair
2021-2022
Rucker was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Banking and Insurance Committee
- Senate Education Committee,Chair
- Confirmations Committee
- Senate Health and Human Resources Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Natural Resources Committee
2019-2020
Rucker was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Banking and Insurance Committee
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Education Committee,Chair
- Senate Health and Human Resources Committee
- Natural Resources Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Workforce Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Rural Development, Vice chair |
| •Education |
| •Health and Human Resources |
| •Judiciary |
| •Natural Resources |
| •Transportation and Infrastructure |
| •Workforce |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Noteworthy events
Removal as Education Committee chairwoman (2022)
On August 31, 2022, Rucker announced she would challenge incumbent Senate PresidentCraig Blair (R) for his leadership position. Later that day, Blair removed Rucker as chairwoman of the Education Committee and named Sen.Amy Nichole Grady (R) as the new chairwoman.[1]
Rucker said she was running because "we have failed in making progress on key Republican priorities like reducing taxes and protecting life, which to me is so very important and front and center to what we should be doing.” Blair said of Rucker's challenge: "This is a little bit of a power play that has no power in it at all. We’re going to continue doing the right thing for the people of West Virginia. Nobody can argue the success that we’ve had pushing down on the accelerator."[1]
Rucker ended her campaign for Senate President on November 22, 2022.[2]
In the2024 election, state Del.Paul Espinosa (R) challenged Rucker in the Republican primary. Four senators—including Blair—accompanied Espinosa as he filed his candidacy.[3] Rucker defeated Espinosa 51.1%–48.9%.
Elections
2024
See also: West Virginia State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for West Virginia State Senate District 16
IncumbentPatricia Rucker defeatedJohn Doyle in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Patricia Rucker (R) | 60.0 | 31,003 |
 | John Doyle (D) | 40.0 | 20,645 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 51,648 | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16
John Doyle advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Doyle | 100.0 | 4,431 |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 4,431 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16
IncumbentPatricia Rucker defeatedPaul Espinosa in the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patricia Rucker | 51.1 | 5,193 |
 | Paul Espinosa | 48.9 | 4,963 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 10,156 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Rucker in this election.
Pledges
Rucker signed the following pledges.
2020
See also: West Virginia State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for West Virginia State Senate District 16
IncumbentPatricia Rucker defeatedPete Dougherty in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patricia Rucker (R) | 51.8 | 25,582 |
| Pete Dougherty (D) | 48.2 | 23,768 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 49,350 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16
Pete Dougherty advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Pete Dougherty | 100.0 | 9,763 | |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 9,763 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16
IncumbentPatricia Rucker advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 16 on June 9, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Patricia Rucker | 100.0 | 7,798 |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 7,798 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for theWest Virginia State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 10, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was January 30, 2016.IncumbentHerb Snyder (D) did not seek re-election.
Patricia Rucker defeatedStephen Skinner in the West Virginia State Senate District 16 general election.[4][5]
| West Virginia State Senate District 16, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Patricia Rucker | 52.79% | 22,499 | |
| Democratic | Stephen Skinner | 47.21% | 20,122 | |
| Total Votes | 42,621 | |||
| Source:West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
Stephen Skinner defeatedDavid Manthos in the West Virginia State Senate District 16 Democratic primary.[6][7]
| West Virginia State Senate District 16, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Stephen Skinner | 67.21% | 6,904 | |
| Democratic | David Manthos | 32.79% | 3,368 | |
| Total Votes | 10,272 | |||
Patricia Rucker defeatedJoe Funkhouser in the West Virginia State Senate District 16 Republican primary.[6][7]
| West Virginia State Senate District 16, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Patricia Rucker | 55.95% | 5,359 | |
| Republican | Joe Funkhouser | 44.05% | 4,219 | |
| Total Votes | 9,578 | |||
This district was included in the Republican State Leadership Committee's list of "16 in '16: Races to Watch." Read more »
This district was included in the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's list of "2016 Essential Races." Read more »
2014
Elections for theWest Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 13, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 25, 2014. IncumbentStephen Skinner was unopposed in the Democratic primary.W. Matthew Harris was defeated byPatricia Rucker in the Republican primary. Skinner defeated Rucker in the general election.[8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Stephen SkinnerIncumbent | 51.3% | 2,636 | |
| Republican | Patricia Rucker | 48.7% | 2,503 | |
| Total Votes | 5,139 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Patricia Rucker | 68.8% | 430 |
| W. Matthew Harris | 31.2% | 195 |
| Total Votes | 625 | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Patricia Rucker did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Patricia Rucker did not completeBallotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Rucker's campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ | Education is a Core Concern
Fairer Tax Structure for WV
| ” |
| —Patricia Rucker[11] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.
| Year | Office | Status | Contributions | Expenditures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | West Virginia State Senate District 16 | Won general | $188,140 | $181,374 |
| 2020 | West Virginia State Senate District 16 | Won general | $203,271 | N/A** |
| 2016 | West Virginia State Senate, District 16 | Won | $94,324 | N/A** |
| Grand total | $485,735 | $181,374 | ||
| Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). | ||||
| ** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle | ||||
| Note: Totals above reflect only available data. | ||||
Endorsements
2016
In 2016, Rucker's endorsements included the following:[11]
- West Virginia Bankers Association Political Action Committee
- West Virginia Citizens Defense League
- West Virginians for Life Political Action Committee
- Eastern Panhandle Business Association
- West Virginia Business & Industry Council (BIC)
Scorecards
Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of West Virginia scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 9. A special session began on September 30 and adjourned on October 8.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to March 11.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 12.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from February 10 to April 10.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 7.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 9 through March 9.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 through March 10.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from February 8 through April 9. The legislature held a special session from May 4 to June 26. The legislature held its second special session from August 1 to September 15.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, theWest Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 through March 12.
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Candidate West Virginia State Senate District 16 | Officeholder West Virginia State Senate District 16 | Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.1West Virginia MetroNews, "Education Chairwoman Rucker announces challenge to Senate President Blair," August 31, 2022
- ↑WCHSTV, "Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, says she will not seek W.Va. Senate presidency," November 22, 2022
- ↑West Virginia MetroNews, "Rucker says, ‘I have stood up to the establishment.’ Espinosa counters, ‘Work together as a team.’," March 30, 2024
- ↑West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed May 3, 2017
- ↑6.06.1West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," accessed January 30, 2016
- ↑7.07.1West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 10, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results," accessed June 18, 2014
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑11.011.1Rucker for WV, "Blog," accessed May 3, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | West Virginia State Senate District 16 2016-Present | Succeeded by - |
- 2016 general election (winner)
- 2016 incumbent
- 2020 general election (winner)
- 2020 incumbent
- 2020 primary (winner)
- 2024 general election (winner)
- 2024 incumbent
- 2024 primary (winner)
- Current member, West Virginia State Senate
- Current state legislative member
- Current state senator
- Republican Party
- State Senate candidate, 2016
- State Senate candidate, 2020
- State Senate candidate, 2024
- State senate candidates
- West Virginia
- West Virginia State Senate candidate, 2016
- West Virginia State Senate candidate, 2020
- West Virginia State Senate candidate, 2024
- State senators first elected in 2016
- 2014 challenger
- State House candidate, 2014
- 2014 primary (winner)
- 2014 general election (defeated)
- 2016 challenger
- 2016 primary (winner)
