Mike Azinger | |
|---|---|
| Member of theWest Virginia Senate from the3rd district | |
| Assumed office December 1, 2016 Serving with Donna Boley | |
| Preceded by | Bob Ashley |
| Member of theWest Virginia House of Delegates from the 10th district | |
| In office December 1, 2014 – December 1, 2016 | |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Vernon Criss |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1965-04-12)April 12, 1965 (age 60) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence(s) | Vienna, West Virginia, U.S. |
Michael Thomas Azinger is an American politician. He is aRepublican member of theWest Virginia Senate,[1][2] representing the3rd district since January 11, 2017. Prior to this, Azinger represented the 10th District in theWest Virginia House of Delegates from 2015 to 2017, succeeding his father,Tom Azinger. Prior to service in the West Virginia legislature, he was a resident of Ohio, where he ran twice for theSixth Congressional District. In 1998, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination, coming in third behind Lt. GovernorNancy Hollister and former CongressmanFrank Cremeans. In 2000, he won the Republican nomination, but failed in his bid to unseat Rep.Ted Strickland, taking only 40% of the vote.[3]
Azinger attended theJanuary 6, 2021, Stop the Steal rally near the U.S. Capitol but did not walk to or enter the building. He claimed he saw no violence and blamed "antifa" for the attack.[4] These claims have been widely disputed;[5] over 800 people have been convicted for their roles in the attack.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Azinger (incumbent) | 20,812 | 65.71% | |
| Democratic | Jim Leach | 10,861 | 34.29% | |
| Total votes | 31,673 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Azinger (incumbent) | 19,964 | 57.40% | |
| Democratic | Jim Leach | 14,818 | 42.60% | |
| Total votes | 34,782 | 100.0% | ||
In 2015, Republican SenatorDavid Nohe resigned just one year into his four-year term due to family commitments.[9] DelegateBob Ashley was appointed to fill the seat until the next regularly scheduled election.[9] Rather than run for the unexpired term, Ashley chose to challenge SenatorDonna Boley for a full term in the Senate.[9] As a result, area businessman Sam Winans and Delegate Azinger ran for the remaining two years on the term.[9] Azinger beat Winans 61-39% to advance to the November general election against Democratic nominee Gregory Smith, former CEO of Mountain StateBlue Cross-Blue Shield.[9] Azinger beat Smith 55-45% to win the unexpired term.[10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Azinger | 23,034 | 54.64% | |
| Democratic | Gregory K. Smith | 19,125 | 45.36% | |
| Total votes | 42,159 | 100.0% | ||
| Primary election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
| Republican | Mike Azinger | 9,065 | 60.72% | |
| Republican | Sam Winans | 5,865 | 39.28% | |
| Total votes | 14,930 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Azinger | 8,375 | 23.48% | |
| Republican | Frank Deem | 7,479 | 20.96% | |
| Republican | John R. Kelly | 6,932 | 19.43% | |
| Democratic | Dan Poling | 5,927 | 16.61% | |
| Democratic | Don Stansberry | 3,886 | 10.89% | |
| Democratic | Paul E. Miller | 3,077 | 8.62% | |
| Total votes | 35,676 | 100.0% | ||
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