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| Turnout | 46.3% (voting eligible)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district resultsManchin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Raese: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The2012 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 6, 2012, to elect one ofWest Virginia's two members of theU.S. Senate for a six-year term. In a rematch of the2010 special election, incumbentDemocratic U.S. SenatorJoe Manchin won re-election to a first full term against theRepublican nominee,John Raese. Notably, Manchin outperformed Barack Obama in theconcurrent presidential election by 25.06 percentage points in vote share, and by 50.86 percentage points on margin. Manchin also won all but 3 counties, including 10 that he lost in 2010.
Robert Byrd held this seat in the U.S. Senate from 1959 until his death on June 28, 2010, after serving in theU.S. House of Representatives since 1953, making him the longest-serving person inCongress. Byrdled his party in the Senate from 1977 to 1989, as Majority Leader or Minority Leader. Afterward, as the most senior Democrat in the Senate, he served aspresident pro tempore of the Senate whenever his party was in the majority, including at the time of his death.
After Byrd's death, West Virginia Secretary of StateNatalie Tennant initially announced that aspecial election would not be held until the regular election for the six-year term in 2012. However, that special election was rescheduled to 2010 for it to coincide with the mid-term elections and to avoid having an interim appointee serving more than two years in the seat.
GovernorJoe Manchin made a temporary appointment ofCarte Goodwin to the vacant seat. Goodwin was later replaced by Manchin who wonthe 2010 special election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Manchin (incumbent) | 163,891 | 79.94 | |
| Democratic | Sheirl Fletcher | 41,118 | 20.06 | |
| Total votes | 205,009 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Raese | 88,510 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 88,510 | 100 | ||
Raese filed a rematch against Manchin, arguing that he now had more material to criticize Manchin with, including that Manchin lost his longtime endorsement from the organization West Virginians for Life because of his vote against defundingPlanned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider.[8] Another example is how he is undecided about whether or not to support Obama's re-election campaign.[9] Senior Obama campaign advisorDavid Axelrod commented in response, "His concern is about his own political well-being."[10] In addition, he voted against U.S. CongressmanPaul Ryan's Republican budget.[11]
Raese wrote an op-ed in theCharleston Gazette-Mail, saying about Manchin, "Yes, he'll talk like a conservative and act like he's fiscally responsible to appeal to more moderate voters, but under that outward appearance of a lovable rube is the heart of a tax-and-spend liberal."[9]
Raese continued to make controversial statements. In April 2012, he equated smoking bans withAdolf Hitler'syellow badge. He said "inMonongalia County now, I have to put a huge sticker on my buildings to say this is a smoke-free environment. This is brought to you by the government of Monongalia County. Okay? Remember Hitler used to putStar of David on everybody’s lapel, remember that? Same thing." That same day, he referred to PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt as "Fidel Roosevelt."[12] Raese didn't apologize for his statements on Hitler saying "I am not going to be intimidated by a bunch of bullshit. I'm not apologizing to anybody or any organization. It's my perfect right to make a speech about meaningful subject matters in this country."[13] He also called rockerTed Nugent a "patriot" for criticizing PresidentBarack Obama.[14]
| Candidate (party) | Receipts | Disbursements | Cash on hand | Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Manchin (D) | $9,467,003 | $7,678,708 | $1,788,297 | $0 |
| John Raese (R) | $1,607,740 | $1,610,493 | $4,679 | $0 |
| Source:Federal Election Commission[15] | ||||
| Joe Manchin | Contribution | John Raese | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers/law firms | $670,553 | Entertainment industry | $176,025 | |
| Mining industry | $647,548 | Leadership PACs | $143,190 | |
| Electric utilities | $392,100 | Retired | $109,513 | |
| Leadership PACs | $366,000 | Lawyers/law firms | $62,069 | |
| Health professionals | $287,498 | Special trade contractors | $59,450 | |
| Retired | $275,750 | Health professionals | $54,300 | |
| Pharmaceuticals/health products | $272,900 | Financial institutions | $52,695 | |
| Petroleum industry | $256,150 | Real estate | $45,875 | |
| Real estate | $228,350 | Petroleum industry | $35,900 | |
| Lobbyists | $200,689 | Republican/Conservative | $35,357 | |
| Source:OpenSecrets[16] | ||||
| Joe Manchin | Contribution | John Raese | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FirstEnergy Corporation | $136,950 | Greer Industries | $124,754 | |
| Mylan Laboratories Inc. | $127,500 | Mountaineer Contractors Inc. | $40,900 | |
| Mepco LLC | $64,400 | Senate Conservatives Fund | $37,690 | |
| Dominion Resources | $58,900 | Frankovitch, Anetakis, Colantonio & Simon | $25,650 | |
| Centene Corporation | $55,900 | Wv Radio | $22,550 | |
| American Electric Power | $55,750 | West Virginia Radio Corporation | $16,821 | |
| Jackson Kelly PLLC | $50,825 | Polino Contracting | $15,500 | |
| Drummond Company | $49,100 | Cleveland Brothers | $10,800 | |
| Patriot Coal Corporation | $48,400 | American Financial Group | $10,200 | |
| Boich Companies | $44,200 | Senate Majority Fund | $10,000 | |
| Source:OpenSecrets[17] | ||||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[18] | Likely D | November 1, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[19] | Safe D | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[20] | Safe D | November 2, 2012 |
| Real Clear Politics[21] | Likely D | November 5, 2012 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Manchin (D) | John Raese (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[22] | January 20–23, 2011 | 1,105 | ±2.9% | 60% | 31% | — | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling[23] | April 21–24, 2011 | 850 | ±3.4% | 61% | 29% | — | 10% |
| Public Policy Polling[24] | September 1–4, 2011 | 708 | ±3.7% | 62% | 23% | — | 14% |
| R.L. Repass[25] | April 25–28, 2012 | 410 | ±4.8% | 74% | 22% | — | 4% |
| R.L. Repass[26] | August 22–25, 2012 | 401 | ±4.9% | 66% | 27% | — | 7% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Manchin (D) | Bill Maloney (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[27] | September 30 – October 2, 2011 | 932 | ±3.2% | 60% | 29% | — | 11% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Manchin (D) | David McKinley (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[22] | January 9–10, 2011 | 1,058 | ± | 53% | 41% | — | 3% |
| Public Policy Polling[23] | April 21–24, 2011 | 850 | ±3.4% | 63% | 25% | — | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling[24] | September 1–4, 2011 | 708 | ±3.7% | 60% | 24% | — | 16% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Joe Manchin (D) | Shelley Moore Capito (R) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[22] | January 20–23, 2011 | 1,105 | ±2.9% | 50% | 41% | — | 10% |
| Public Policy Polling[23] | April 21–24, 2011 | 850 | ±3.4% | 48% | 40% | — | 12% |
| Public Policy Polling[24] | September 1–4, 2011 | 708 | ±3.7% | 52% | 36% | — | 13% |
| Public Policy Polling[27] | September 30 – October 2, 2011 | 932 | ±3.2% | 49% | 38% | — | 13% |
In spite of the Republicans winning every county in the presidential election, Manchin carried 52 of West Virginia's 55 counties.[28]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Manchin (incumbent) | 399,908 | 60.57% | +7.10% | |
| Republican | John Raese | 240,787 | 36.47% | −6.93% | |
| Mountain | Bob Henry Baber | 19,517 | 2.96% | +1.04% | |
| Total votes | 660,212 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratichold | |||||
Manchin won all three congressional districts, including two held by Republicans.[30]
| District | Manchin | Raese | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 58.31% | 38.94% | David McKinley |
| 2nd | 58.48% | 38.2% | Shelley Moore Capito |
| 3rd | 65.42% | 31.82% | Nick Rahall |
Official campaign websites
