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| Turnout | 63.25% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district results Precinct results
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The2020 United States presidential election in West Virginia was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia participated.[1]West Virginia voters chose electors to represent them in theElectoral College via a popular vote, pitting theRepublican Party's nominee, incumbent PresidentDonald Trump, and running mateVice PresidentMike Pence againstDemocratic Party nominee, former Vice PresidentJoe Biden, and his running mate California SenatorKamala Harris. West Virginia had five electoral votes in the Electoral College.[2]
Trump easily carried West Virginia on Election Day by 38.9 points, down from 42.1 points in2016. Prior to the election, all 16 news organizations declared West Virginia a safe, or likely,red state. This was the first time ever that an incumbent Republican carried the state while losing re–election.
With 68.62% of its vote, this would prove to be Trump's second strongest state in 2020, only behindWyoming, and overall would be the largest share of the vote won by any presidential candidate in West Virginia.
Since West Virginia has only become a very safe Republican stronghold in recent elections, Biden is only the third Democrat ever to win the presidency without carrying the state, afterBarack Obama andWoodrow Wilson.
The primary elections were originally scheduled for May 12, 2020. In April, they were moved to June 9 due to concerns over theCOVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Vice PresidentJoe Biden won the Democratic primary and received all of West Virginia's 28 pledged delegates, as well as all six unpledged PLEO (party leaders and elected officials) delegates, to the2020 Democratic National Convention.[4]
| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | 122,518 | 65.35 | 28 |
| Bernie Sanders(withdrawn) | 22,793 | 12.16 | |
| David Lee Rice | 15,470 | 8.25 | |
| Elizabeth Warren(withdrawn) | 5,741 | 3.06 | |
| Tulsi Gabbard(withdrawn) | 4,163 | 2.22 | |
| Michael Bloomberg(withdrawn) | 3,759 | 2.01 | |
| Pete Buttigieg(withdrawn) | 3,455 | 1.84 | |
| Amy Klobuchar(withdrawn) | 3,011 | 1.61 | |
| Andrew Yang(withdrawn) | 2,590 | 1.38 | |
| Michael Bennet(withdrawn) | 1,865 | 0.99 | |
| Tom Steyer(withdrawn) | 1,235 | 0.66 | |
| Deval Patrick(withdrawn) | 882 | 0.47 | |
| Total | 187,482 | 100% | 28 |
| County | Joe Biden | Bernie Sanders | David Lee Rice | Others | Total votes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | ||
| Barbour | 68.83% | 923 | 7.98% | 107 | 10.22% | 137 | 12.97% | 174 | 1,341 |
| Berkeley | 73.74% | 5,952 | 12.31% | 994 | 2.92% | 236 | 11.03% | 890 | 8,072 |
| Boone | 54.40% | 1,689 | 10.27% | 319 | 17.39% | 540 | 17.94% | 557 | 3,105 |
| Braxton | 62.80% | 1,133 | 8.09% | 146 | 11.97% | 216 | 17.14% | 309 | 1,804 |
| Brooke | 62.70% | 1,861 | 10.88% | 323 | 8.79% | 261 | 17.63% | 523 | 2,968 |
| Cabell | 68.32% | 6,792 | 15.17% | 1,508 | 4.34% | 431 | 12.17% | 1,211 | 9,942 |
| Calhoun | 47.29% | 392 | 16.04% | 133 | 21.59% | 179 | 15.08% | 125 | 829 |
| Clay | 52.01% | 439 | 10.31% | 87 | 19.31% | 163 | 18.37% | 155 | 844 |
| Doddridge | 59.44% | 192 | 14.55% | 47 | 13.31% | 43 | 12.70% | 41 | 323 |
| Fayette | 63.52% | 3,167 | 12.01% | 599 | 9.07% | 452 | 15.40% | 768 | 4,986 |
| Gilmer | 55.24% | 448 | 11.47% | 93 | 15.04% | 122 | 18.25% | 148 | 811 |
| Grant | 69.64% | 211 | 13.53% | 41 | 4.62% | 14 | 12.21% | 37 | 303 |
| Greenbrier | 66.10% | 2,660 | 12.03% | 484 | 7.70% | 310 | 14.17% | 570 | 4,024 |
| Hampshire | 64.56% | 942 | 9.87% | 144 | 9.73% | 142 | 15.84% | 231 | 1,459 |
| Hancock | 65.23% | 2,217 | 9.44% | 321 | 8.68% | 295 | 16.65% | 566 | 3,399 |
| Hardy | 62.55% | 810 | 10.42% | 135 | 11.89% | 154 | 15.14% | 196 | 1,295 |
| Harrison | 66.02% | 5,266 | 10.04% | 801 | 8.38% | 668 | 15.56% | 1,241 | 7,976 |
| Jackson | 71.03% | 1,986 | 8.66% | 242 | 8.83% | 247 | 11.48% | 321 | 2,796 |
| Jefferson | 74.69% | 4,807 | 14.05% | 904 | 1.55% | 100 | 9.71% | 625 | 6,436 |
| Kanawha | 73.10% | 18,069 | 11.75% | 2,905 | 3.64% | 901 | 11.51% | 2,844 | 24,719 |
| Lewis | 58.51% | 976 | 10.97% | 183 | 11.69% | 195 | 18.83% | 314 | 1,668 |
| Lincoln | 57.38% | 1,182 | 10.10% | 208 | 18.20% | 375 | 14.32% | 295 | 2,060 |
| Logan | 50.90% | 1,504 | 11.95% | 353 | 19.90% | 588 | 17.25% | 510 | 2,955 |
| Marion | 61.93% | 4,818 | 13.47% | 1,048 | 7.38% | 574 | 17.22% | 1,340 | 7,780 |
| Marshall | 59.87% | 2,107 | 10.88% | 383 | 11.88% | 418 | 17.37% | 611 | 3,519 |
| Mason | 62.10% | 1,670 | 9.26% | 249 | 13.13% | 353 | 15.51% | 417 | 2,689 |
| McDowell | 57.85% | 980 | 8.26% | 140 | 13.58% | 230 | 20.31% | 344 | 1,694 |
| Mercer | 62.94% | 2,683 | 13.61% | 580 | 8.42% | 359 | 15.03% | 641 | 4,263 |
| Mineral | 68.51% | 1,162 | 11.32% | 192 | 9.08% | 154 | 11.09% | 188 | 1,696 |
| Mingo | 41.10% | 921 | 14.15% | 317 | 20.44% | 458 | 24.31% | 545 | 2,241 |
| Monongalia | 63.65% | 7,967 | 17.74% | 2,221 | 3.94% | 493 | 14.67% | 1,836 | 12,517 |
| Monroe | 66.53% | 811 | 10.83% | 132 | 8.53% | 104 | 14.11% | 172 | 1,219 |
| Morgan | 72.64% | 770 | 14.15% | 150 | 2.83% | 30 | 10.38% | 110 | 1,060 |
| Nicholas | 60.90% | 1,483 | 9.61% | 234 | 10.18% | 248 | 19.31% | 470 | 2,435 |
| Ohio | 68.14% | 3,700 | 13.02% | 707 | 4.90% | 266 | 13.94% | 757 | 5,430 |
| Pendleton | 65.30% | 557 | 7.97% | 68 | 10.32% | 88 | 16.41% | 140 | 853 |
| Pleasants | 64.11% | 493 | 8.32% | 64 | 10.92% | 84 | 16.65% | 128 | 769 |
| Pocahontas | 63.62% | 640 | 12.33% | 124 | 8.05% | 81 | 16.00% | 161 | 1,006 |
| Preston | 64.01% | 1,606 | 12.55% | 315 | 10.56% | 265 | 12.88% | 323 | 2,509 |
| Putnam | 69.66% | 3,882 | 12.17% | 678 | 6.01% | 335 | 12.16% | 678 | 5,573 |
| Raleigh | 63.50% | 4,520 | 11.89% | 846 | 9.40% | 669 | 15.21% | 1,083 | 7,118 |
| Randolph | 59.44% | 2,200 | 10.00% | 370 | 15.10% | 559 | 15.46% | 572 | 3,701 |
| Ritchie | 61.85% | 274 | 11.06% | 49 | 13.32% | 59 | 13.77% | 61 | 443 |
| Roane | 64.33% | 880 | 12.72% | 174 | 9.80% | 134 | 13.15% | 180 | 1,368 |
| Summers | 61.84% | 1,050 | 10.13% | 172 | 15.43% | 262 | 12.60% | 214 | 1,698 |
| Taylor | 64.85% | 1,057 | 11.35% | 185 | 8.90% | 145 | 14.90% | 243 | 1,630 |
| Tucker | 58.09% | 578 | 15.48% | 154 | 10.15% | 101 | 16.28% | 162 | 995 |
| Tyler | 58.78% | 318 | 11.65% | 63 | 12.57% | 68 | 17.00% | 92 | 541 |
| Upshur | 71.84% | 1,194 | 10.83% | 180 | 5.29% | 88 | 12.04% | 200 | 1,662 |
| Wayne | 62.70% | 2,533 | 9.75% | 394 | 14.31% | 578 | 13.24% | 535 | 4,040 |
| Webster | 50.46% | 491 | 10.89% | 106 | 17.06% | 166 | 21.59% | 210 | 973 |
| Wetzel | 55.10% | 1,112 | 11.05% | 223 | 15.96% | 322 | 17.89% | 361 | 2,018 |
| Wirt | 57.55% | 286 | 9.86% | 49 | 15.29% | 76 | 17.30% | 86 | 497 |
| Wood | 68.58% | 4,550 | 12.36% | 820 | 7.63% | 506 | 11.43% | 759 | 6,635 |
| Wyoming | 47.65% | 871 | 11.27% | 206 | 22.43% | 410 | 18.65% | 341 | 1,828 |
Incumbent PresidentDonald Trump won the Republican primary and received all of West Virginia's 35 delegates to the2020 Republican National Convention.[6]
| Candidate | Popular vote[7] | Pledged delegates[8] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | ||
| Donald Trump (incumbent) | 198,691 | 94.39 | 35 |
| Joe Walsh(withdrawn) | 3,806 | 1.81 | 0 |
| Bill Weld(withdrawn) | 3,721 | 1.77 | 0 |
| Rocky De La Fuente | 1,537 | 0.73 | 0 |
| Bob Ely | 1,436 | 0.68 | 0 |
| Matthew Mattern | 1,315 | 0.62 | 0 |
| Total | 210,506 | 100% | 35 |
West Virginia's Green Party affiliate conducted an online party-run primary, utilizing the state's original primary date of May 12, 2020, as its deadline.
| Candidate | Percentage | National delegates |
|---|---|---|
| Howie Hawkins | 78.3% | 5 |
| David Rolde | 8.7% | 0 |
| Jesse Ventura (write-in) | 8.7% | 0 |
| Dario Hunter | 4.3% | 0 |
| Total | 100.00% | 5 |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[10] | Safe R | September 10, 2020 |
| Inside Elections[11] | Safe R | September 4, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[12] | Safe R | July 14, 2020 |
| Politico[13] | Safe R | September 8, 2020 |
| RCP[14] | Safe R | August 3, 2020 |
| Niskanen[15] | Safe R | July 26, 2020 |
| CNN[16] | Safe R | August 3, 2020 |
| The Economist[17] | Safe R | September 2, 2020 |
| CBS News[18] | Likely R | August 16, 2020 |
| 270towin[19] | Safe R | August 2, 2020 |
| ABC News[20] | Safe R | July 31, 2020 |
| NPR[21] | Likely R | August 3, 2020 |
| NBC News[22] | Safe R | August 6, 2020 |
| 538[23] | Safe R | September 9, 2020 |
Graphical summary
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Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Joe Biden Democratic | Donald Trump Republican | Other/ undecided [a] | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 270 to Win[24] | October 13–23, 2020 | November 3, 2020 | 38.5% | 55.5% | 6.0% | Trump +17.0 |
| FiveThirtyEight[25] | until November 2, 2020 | November 3, 2020 | 33.5% | 62.1% | 4.4% | Trump +28.6 |
| Average | 36.0% | 58.8% | 5.2% | Trump +22.8 | ||
Polls
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size[b] | Margin of error | Donald Trump Republican | Joe Biden Democratic | Jo Jorgensen Libertarian | Howie Hawkins Mountain | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[26] | Oct 20 – Nov 2, 2020 | 816 (LV) | ± 5% | 67%[c] | 32% | – | – | – | – |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[26] | Oct 1–28, 2020 | 1,359 (LV) | – | 66% | 32% | – | – | – | – |
| Triton Polling and Research/WMOV[27] | Oct 19–21, 2020 | 544 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 58% | 38% | – | – | – | 4% |
| Research America Inc./West Virginia Metro News[28] | Oct 6–9, 2020 | 450 (LV) | ± 4.6% | 53% | 39% | 4% | 1% | – | 3% |
| Triton Polling & Research/WMOV[29] | Sep 29–30, 2020[d] | 525 (RV) | ± 4.3% | 56% | 38% | – | – | – | 5% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[26] | Sep 1–30, 2020 | 516 (LV) | – | 62% | 36% | – | – | – | 2% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[26] | Aug 1–31, 2020 | 496 (LV) | – | 65% | 32% | – | – | – | 2% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[26] | Jul 1–31, 2020 | 494 (LV) | – | 67% | 32% | – | – | – | 1% |
| SurveyMonkey/Axios[26] | Jun 8–30, 2020 | 264 (LV) | – | 72% | 27% | – | – | – | 1% |
| WPA Intelligence/Club for Growth[30][A] | Jan 7–9, 2020 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 66% | 31% | – | – | – | 3% |
Former candidates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Donald Trump vs. Bernie Sanders
Donald Trump vs. Elizabeth Warren
|
Trump won West Virginia, carrying the popular vote in each of the state's 55 counties.[33]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Donald Trump Mike Pence | 545,382 | 68.62 | +0.10% | |
| Democratic | Joe Biden Kamala Harris | 235,984 | 29.69 | +3.27% | |
| Libertarian | Jo Jorgensen Spike Cohen | 10,687 | 1.34 | −1.88% | |
| Mountain | Howie Hawkins Angela Walker | 2,599 | 0.33 | −0.80% | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Gloria La Riva Sunil Freeman (write-in) | 9 | 0.00 | N/A | |
| Write-in | 70 | 0.01 | −0.18% | ||
| Total votes | 794,731 | 100.00 | N/A | ||
Trump won all three congressional districts.[36]
| District | Trump | Biden | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 68% | 30% | David McKinley |
| 2nd | 65% | 33% | Alex Mooney |
| 3rd | 73% | 25% | Carol Miller |
| County | Donald Trump Republican | Joe Biden Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Barbour | 5,116 | 76.62% | 1,457 | 21.82% | 104 | 1.56% | 3,659 | 54.80% | 6,677 |
| Berkeley | 33,279 | 64.57% | 17,186 | 33.35% | 1,074 | 2.08% | 16,093 | 31.22% | 51,539 |
| Boone | 6,816 | 75.62% | 2,041 | 22.65% | 156 | 1.73% | 4,775 | 52.97% | 9,013 |
| Braxton | 4,120 | 72.74% | 1,457 | 25.72% | 87 | 1.54% | 2,663 | 47.02% | 5,664 |
| Brooke | 7,545 | 70.81% | 2,947 | 27.66% | 164 | 1.53% | 4,598 | 43.15% | 10,656 |
| Cabell | 21,721 | 58.14% | 14,994 | 40.13% | 645 | 1.73% | 6,727 | 18.01% | 37,360 |
| Calhoun | 2,364 | 79.57% | 568 | 19.12% | 39 | 1.31% | 1,796 | 60.45% | 2,971 |
| Clay | 2,679 | 79.61% | 641 | 19.05% | 45 | 1.34% | 2,038 | 60.56% | 3,365 |
| Doddridge | 2,619 | 84.46% | 435 | 14.03% | 47 | 1.51% | 2,184 | 70.43% | 3,101 |
| Fayette | 11,580 | 68.64% | 5,063 | 30.01% | 227 | 1.35% | 6,517 | 38.63% | 16,870 |
| Gilmer | 2,012 | 75.58% | 599 | 22.50% | 51 | 1.92% | 1,413 | 53.08% | 2,662 |
| Grant | 4,871 | 88.40% | 607 | 11.02% | 32 | 0.58% | 4,264 | 77.38% | 5,510 |
| Greenbrier | 10,925 | 68.93% | 4,655 | 29.37% | 270 | 1.70% | 6,270 | 39.56% | 15,850 |
| Hampshire | 8,033 | 79.65% | 1,939 | 19.22% | 114 | 1.13% | 6,094 | 60.43% | 10,086 |
| Hancock | 9,806 | 71.05% | 3,790 | 27.46% | 206 | 1.49% | 6,016 | 43.59% | 13,802 |
| Hardy | 4,859 | 76.73% | 1,381 | 21.81% | 93 | 1.46% | 3,478 | 54.92% | 6,333 |
| Harrison | 20,683 | 67.89% | 9,215 | 30.25% | 567 | 1.86% | 11,468 | 37.64% | 30,465 |
| Jackson | 10,093 | 74.71% | 3,207 | 23.74% | 209 | 1.55% | 6,886 | 50.97% | 13,509 |
| Jefferson | 15,033 | 54.26% | 12,127 | 43.77% | 545 | 1.97% | 2,906 | 10.49% | 27,705 |
| Kanawha | 46,398 | 56.41% | 34,344 | 41.76% | 1,508 | 1.83% | 12,054 | 14.65% | 82,250 |
| Lewis | 5,782 | 77.52% | 1,538 | 20.62% | 139 | 1.86% | 4,244 | 56.90% | 7,459 |
| Lincoln | 6,012 | 76.77% | 1,711 | 21.85% | 108 | 1.38% | 4,301 | 54.92% | 7,831 |
| Logan | 10,534 | 80.87% | 2,333 | 17.91% | 159 | 1.22% | 8,201 | 62.96% | 13,026 |
| Marion | 16,300 | 63.18% | 8,901 | 34.50% | 598 | 2.32% | 7,399 | 28.68% | 25,799 |
| Marshall | 10,435 | 74.11% | 3,455 | 24.54% | 190 | 1.35% | 6,980 | 49.57% | 14,080 |
| Mason | 8,491 | 75.77% | 2,526 | 22.54% | 189 | 1.69% | 5,965 | 53.23% | 11,206 |
| McDowell | 5,148 | 78.87% | 1,333 | 20.42% | 46 | 0.71% | 3,815 | 58.45% | 6,527 |
| Mercer | 19,237 | 76.53% | 5,556 | 22.10% | 342 | 1.37% | 13,681 | 54.43% | 25,135 |
| Mineral | 10,040 | 77.97% | 2,660 | 20.66% | 176 | 1.37% | 7,380 | 57.31% | 12,876 |
| Mingo | 8,544 | 85.22% | 1,397 | 13.93% | 85 | 0.85% | 7,147 | 71.29% | 10,026 |
| Monongalia | 20,803 | 49.44% | 20,282 | 48.20% | 994 | 2.36% | 521 | 1.24% | 42,079 |
| Monroe | 5,068 | 78.09% | 1,345 | 20.72% | 77 | 1.19% | 3,723 | 57.37% | 6,490 |
| Morgan | 6,537 | 75.17% | 1,998 | 22.98% | 161 | 1.85% | 4,539 | 52.19% | 8,696 |
| Nicholas | 8,279 | 77.86% | 2,226 | 20.93% | 128 | 1.21% | 6,053 | 56.93% | 10,633 |
| Ohio | 12,354 | 62.08% | 7,223 | 36.30% | 323 | 1.62% | 5,131 | 25.78% | 19,900 |
| Pendleton | 2,782 | 76.03% | 820 | 22.41% | 57 | 1.56% | 1,962 | 53.62% | 3,659 |
| Pleasants | 2,742 | 78.54% | 699 | 20.02% | 50 | 1.44% | 2,043 | 58.52% | 3,491 |
| Pocahontas | 2,895 | 72.21% | 1,047 | 26.12% | 67 | 1.57% | 1,848 | 46.09% | 4,009 |
| Preston | 11,190 | 76.79% | 3,163 | 21.70% | 220 | 1.51% | 8,027 | 55.09% | 14,573 |
| Putnam | 20,034 | 70.29% | 7,878 | 27.64% | 589 | 2.07% | 12,156 | 42.65% | 28,501 |
| Raleigh | 24,673 | 74.51% | 7,982 | 24.10% | 459 | 1.39% | 16,691 | 50.41% | 33,114 |
| Randolph | 8,673 | 71.09% | 3,362 | 27.56% | 165 | 1.35% | 5,311 | 43.53% | 12,200 |
| Ritchie | 3,649 | 85.20% | 586 | 13.68% | 48 | 1.12% | 3,063 | 71.52% | 4,283 |
| Roane | 4,213 | 73.10% | 1,455 | 25.25% | 95 | 1.65% | 2,758 | 47.85% | 5,763 |
| Summers | 4,074 | 72.95% | 1,448 | 25.93% | 63 | 1.12% | 2,626 | 47.02% | 5,585 |
| Taylor | 5,477 | 74.18% | 1,796 | 24.33% | 110 | 1.49% | 3,681 | 49.85% | 7,383 |
| Tucker | 2,841 | 73.89% | 938 | 24.40% | 66 | 1.71% | 1,903 | 49.49% | 3,845 |
| Tyler | 3,226 | 82.23% | 631 | 16.08% | 66 | 1.69% | 2,595 | 66.15% | 3,923 |
| Upshur | 7,771 | 76.01% | 2,256 | 22.07% | 196 | 1.92% | 5,515 | 53.94% | 10,223 |
| Wayne | 12,585 | 74.26% | 4,088 | 24.12% | 274 | 1.62% | 8,497 | 50.14% | 16,947 |
| Webster | 2,759 | 81.10% | 610 | 17.93% | 33 | 0.97% | 2,149 | 63.17% | 3,402 |
| Wetzel | 4,993 | 74.87% | 1,539 | 23.08% | 137 | 2.05% | 3,454 | 51.79% | 6,669 |
| Wirt | 2,134 | 80.44% | 466 | 17.57% | 53 | 1.99% | 1,668 | 62.87% | 2,653 |
| Wood | 27,202 | 70.17% | 10,926 | 28.19% | 637 | 1.64% | 16,276 | 41.98% | 38,765 |
| Wyoming | 7,353 | 85.58% | 1,157 | 13.47% | 82 | 0.95% | 6,196 | 72.11% | 8,592 |
| Totals | 545,382 | 68.62% | 235,984 | 29.69% | 13,365 | 1.69% | 309,398 | 38.93% | 794,731 |
Swing by county
Trend relative to the state by countyWest Virginia, which was solidly Democratic territory for much of the 20th century, has consistently voted Republican in presidential elections since2000. Republicans started making gains in the state in the 21st century due to championing ofenvironmentalism by Democrats such as 2000 Democratic nomineeAl Gore, which challenged entrenchedcoal-mining interests.[37][38]
West Virginia gave Trump his second-highest vote share in 2020, swapping places withWyoming, after having been Trump's strongest state by vote share in2016.[39] This is the best Republican performance in state history, surpassing the record set in the previous election. West Virginia was one of two states where Trump won every county, the other beingOklahoma.[40] The closest county in the state, and the only one Trump won without a majority of the vote, wasMonongalia County, home toMorgantown and the main campus ofWest Virginia University. Biden's losing margin of 1.24% in Monongalia marked the closest a Democrat has come to winning any county in West Virginia since2008. This was the third consecutive presidential election where every county within the state voted Republican, but the first since1996 in which the Democratic vote share increased relative to the preceding election. Biden received over 40% of the vote in only 4 counties - Monongalia;Kanawha County, home to the state capital and largest cityCharleston;Cabell County, home toMarshall University and to the state's second largest cityHuntington; andJefferson County, home toWashington, D.C., exurbs.[33]
Perexit polls by theAssociated Press, Trump's strength in West Virginia came from voters who prioritized protecting and expanding production of fossil fuels, such as coal, who comprised 58% of voters and broke for Trump by 90%.[41] Trump's strongest region wassouthern West Virginia. Thiscoal-mining, union-heavy region was once among the most heavily Democratic places in the nation;Logan County, for example, broke 72% of its ballots forBill Clinton in1996, 61% forAl Gore in2000, 52% forJohn Kerry in2004, and even 51% forGeorge McGovern in his only statewide county win in1972; but by2008,John McCain flipped it to the Republican column with 54% of the vote, which increased to 68% forMitt Romney in2012 and by2016 and2020, it had voted 79.6% and 80.9% for Trump, respectively.[42]
During the same election cycle, incumbent Republican SenatorShelley Moore Capito wasre-elected by a margin slightly larger than Trump's, beating out DemocratPaula Jean Swearengin by 43.3 points.[43]
Partisan clients
State and district results of the2020 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
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