Presidential election in West Virginia, 2016

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General election in West Virginia
  Date: November 8, 2016
2016 winner: Donald Trump
Electoral votes: Five
2012 winner: Mitt Romney (R)
Democratic Primary
  Date: May 10, 2016
Winner: Bernie Sanders
Republican Primary
  Date: May 10, 2016
Winner: Donald Trump
Down ballot races in West Virginia
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West Virginia State Senate
West Virginia House of Delegates
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West Virginia held an election for the president of the United States on November 8, 2016. The Democratic and Republican parties held primary elections for president on May 10, 2016.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Donald Trump won West Virginia in the general election.
  • In 2016, West Virginia had five electoral votes, which was 0.9 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs and 1.8 percent of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the general election.
  • Between 1900 and 2016, West Virginia cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.67 percent of the time. In that same time frame, West Virginia supported Democratic and Republican candidates for president equally. West Virginia favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.
  • Democratic and Republican primaries took place in West Virginia on May 10, 2016.Bernie Sanders won the West Virginia Democratic primary 51.4 percent of the vote. Donald Trump won the West Virginia Republican primary with 77.1 percent.

    • General election candidates

    See also: Ballot access for presidential candidates

    The candidate list below is based on an official list on the West Virginia secretary of state website. The candidate names below appear in the order in which they were listed on the official list—not necessarily the order in which they appeared on the ballot in November. Write-in candidates were not included in the list below.

    Presidential candidates on the ballot in West Virginia

    ☐ Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley (Constitution)
    ☐ Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine (Democratic)
    ☐ Gary Johnson/Bill Weld (Libertarian)
    ☐ Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka (Green - listed as Mountain Party)
    CheckedBoxOffset.jpg Donald Trump/Mike Pence (Republican)

    Results

    U.S. presidential election, West Virginia, 2016
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 26.4% 188,794 0
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump/Mike Pence 68.5% 489,371 5
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 3.2% 23,004 0
         Green Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka 1.1% 8,075 0
         Constitution Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley 0.5% 3,807 0
         - Other/Write-in 0.2% 1,372 0
    Total Votes 714,423 5
    Election results via: Federal Election Commission

    Historical election trends

    See also: Presidential election accuracy

    Below is an analysis of West Virginia's voting record in presidential elections. The state's accuracy is based on the number of times a state has voted for a winning presidential candidate. The majority of statistical data is from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and was compiled, here, by Ballotpedia, unless otherwise noted.

    Presidential election voting record in West Virginia, 1900-2016

    Between 1900 and 2016:

    • West Virginia participated in 30 presidential elections.
    • West Virginia voted for the winning presidential candidate 76.67 percent of the time. The average accuracy of voting for winning presidential candidates for all 50 states in this time frame was 72.31 percent.[1]
    • West Virginia voted Democratic 50 percent of the time and Republican 50 percent of the time.

    Split electoral votes

    In 1916, West Virginia split its electoral votes, casting one electoral vote for Woodrow Wilson (D) and seven for Charles Hughes (R).[2]

    Presidential election voting record in West Virginia, 2000-2016

    *An asterisk indicates that that candidate also won the national electoral vote in that election.

    Election results

    2012

    U.S. presidential election, West Virginia, 2012
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMitt Romney/Paul Ryan 62.2% 417,655 5
         Democratic Barack Obama/Joe Biden Incumbent 35.5% 238,269 0
         Libertarian Gary Johnson/Jim Gray 0.9% 6,302 0
         Mountain Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala 0.7% 4,406 0
         N/A Randall Terry 0.6% 3,806 0
         N/A Write-ins 0.2% 1,502 0
    Total Votes 671,940 5
    Election results via: U.S. Election Atlas

    Other candidates that appeared on the ballot received less than 0.1% of the vote. Those candidates included: Virgil Goode, Roseanne Barr, Ross Anderson, Merlin Miller, Thomas Hoefling and Richard Duncan.[4]

    2008

    U.S. presidential election, West Virginia, 2008
    Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
         Republican Green check mark transparent.pngJohn McCain/Sarah Palin 55.6% 397,466 5
         Democratic Barack Obama/Joe Biden 42.5% 303,857 0
         Unaffiliated Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez 1% 7,219 0
         Constitution Chuck Baldwin/Darrell Castle 0.3% 2,217 0
         Mountain Cynthia McKinney/Rosa Clemente 0.3% 2,355 0
         N/A Write-ins 0.2% 1,761 0
    Total Votes 714,875 5
    Election results via: U.S. Election Atlas

    Electoral votes

    See also: Electoral College

    The president of the United States is not elected by popular vote but rather by electors in the Electoral College. In fact, when Americans vote for president, they are actually voting for a slate of electors selected by members of Democratic and Republican state parties or nominated in some other fashion. Under this system, which is laid out in Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution, each state is allocated one electoral vote for every member of their congressional delegation, meaning one for each member of the U.S. House and one for each of their two Senators.

    West Virginia electors

    In 2016, West Virginia had five electoral votes. West Virginia's share of electoral votes represented 0.9 percent of the 538 electoral votes up for grabs in the general election and 1.8 percent of the 270 votes needed to be elected president.

    "Faithless electors"

    The U.S. Constitution does not dictate how presidential electors are to cast their votes, but, in general, electors are expected to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state or the candidates of the party that nominated them to serve as electors. Electors who choose not to vote for the winner of the popular vote or the candidates of the party that nominated them are known as "faithless electors." Faithless electors are rare. Between 1900 and 2012, there were only eight known instances of faithless electors.

    Several states have passed laws against faithless electors and require electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote in their state, for the candidate of the party that nominated them to serve as electors, or in accordance with any pledge they may have been required to make at the time of their nomination. In states with these types of laws, faithless electors can be fined or replaced, or their votes can be nullified.[5][6]

    West Virginia was one of 20 states in 2016 without a law seeking to bind the votes of presidential electors.

    Down ballot races

    See also: West Virginia elections, 2016

    Below is a list of down ballot races in West Virginia covered by Ballotpedia in 2016.

    Primary election

    Quick facts

    Democrats: Republicans
    • 2016 Republican winner: Donald Trump
    • 2012 Republican winner: Mitt Romney
    • Type: Mixed Primary
    • Pledged delegates at stake: 34

    Democrats

    Bernie Sanders won the West Virginia Democratic primary. With 99 percent of precincts reporting in, he defeated Hillary Clinton 51 to 36 percent. Sanders won all 55 counties in the state. According to the television network exit poll, a representative sampling of voters as they left their precinct polling stations, roughly 90 percent of the Democratic electorate in West Virginia was white, more than half of whom supported Sanders. About one-third of white voters backed Clinton, while the rest backed lesser-known Democratic candidates such as Paul Farrell Jr. and Keith Judd. For more on how the vote unfolded in West Virginia's Democratic primary, see Sanders, Trump take May 10 primaries.

    Republicans

    Donald Trump won the West Virginia Republican primary, marking his first primary victory since Ted Cruz and John Kasich suspended their campaigns on May 3, 2016, and May 4, 2016, respectively. With 99 percent of precincts reporting in, Trump received 77 percent of the vote in West Virginia. Cruz received nine percent, while Kasich received almost seven percent. Like Sanders, Trump won every county in the state. Also on May 10, Trump scored a victory in the Nebraska Republican primary, where he won more than 60 percent of the vote.

    Primary results

    Democrats

    West Virginia Democratic Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngBernie Sanders 51.4% 124,700 18
    Hillary Clinton 35.8% 86,914 11
    Paul Farrell 8.9% 21,694 0
    Keith Judd 1.8% 4,460 0
    Martin O'Malley 1.6% 3,796 0
    Roque De La Fuente 0.4% 975 0
    Totals 242,539 29
    Source: The New York Times and West Virginia Secretary of State

    Republicans

    West Virginia Republican Primary, 2016
    Candidate Vote % Votes Delegates
    Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump 77.1% 157,238 30
    Ted Cruz 9% 18,301 0
    John Kasich 6.7% 13,721 1
    Ben Carson 2.2% 4,421 0
    Marco Rubio 1.4% 2,908 0
    Jeb Bush 1.1% 2,305 0
    Rand Paul 0.9% 1,798 0
    Mike Huckabee 0.9% 1,780 0
    Chris Christie 0.4% 727 0
    Carly Fiorina 0.3% 659 0
    David Hall 0.1% 203 0
    Totals 204,061 31
    Source: The New York Times and West Virginia Secretary of State

    Primary candidates

    Democrats[7]

    Hillary Clinton
    Roque De La Fuente


    Paul Farrell Jr.
    Keith Judd


    Martin O'Malley
    Bernie Sanders

    Republicans[7]

    Jeb Bush
    Ben Carson
    Chris Christie
    Ted Cruz


    Carly Fiorina
    David Eames Hall
    Mike Huckabee
    John Kasich


    Rand Paul
    Marco Rubio
    Donald Trump

    Polls

    Democratic primary

    Democratic Party Democratic Party presidential primary polling (West Virginia)
    Poll Bernie Sanders Hillary ClintonUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Public Policy Polling
    April 29-May 1, 2016    		45%37%18%+/-3.9637
    MetroNews
    February 11-16, 2016    		57%29%14%+/-4.9208
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].


    Republican primary

    Republican Party Republican Party presidential primary polling (West Virginia)
    Poll Donald Trump Ted CruzJohn KasichMarco RubioBen CarsonUnsure or OtherMargin of ErrorSample Size
    Public Policy Polling
    April 29-May 1, 2016    		61%22%14%0%0%3%+/-4.2549
    MetroNews
    February 11-16, 2016    		40%20%6%15%10%9%+/-4.9159
    Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].


    Delegates

    Delegate selection

    See also: 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

    Democratic Party

    Democratic Party Logo.png

    West Virginia had 37 delegates at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Of this total, 29 were pledged delegates. National party rules stipulated how Democratic delegates in all states were allocated. Pledged delegates were allocated to a candidate in proportion to the votes he or she received in a state's primary or caucus. A candidate was eligible to receive a share of the state's pledged delegates if he or she won at least 15 percent of the votes cast in the primary or caucus. There were three types of pledged Democratic delegates: congressional district delegates, at-large delegates, and party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs). Congressional district delegates were allocated proportionally based on the primary or caucus results in a given district. At-large and PLEO delegates were allocated proportionally based on statewide primary results.[8][9]

    Eight party leaders and elected officials served as unpledged delegates. These delegates were not required to adhere to the results of a state's primary or caucus.[8][10]

    West Virginia superdelegates

    See also: Superdelegates from West Virginia, 2016 and Superdelegates and the 2016 Democratic National Convention

    Republican Party

    Logo-GOP.png

    West Virginia had 34 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, nine were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's three congressional districts) and 22 served as at-large delegates. According to the Republican National Committee, West Virginia's district and at-large delegates were "elected on the primary ballot and [may have specified an] intention to be committed to a candidate."[11][12]

    In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention. The RNC delegates were required to pledge their support to the winner of the state's primary.[11][12]

    Republican delegates

    See also: Republican delegates from West Virginia, 2016 and RNC delegate guidelines from West Virginia, 2016

    Presidential voting history

    West Virginia presidential election results (1900-2024)

    • 15 Democratic wins
    • 17 Republican wins
    Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
    Winning Party R R R D R R R R D D D D D D R D D D R D D R D D D R R R R R R R

    State profile

    Demographic data for West Virginia
     West VirginiaU.S.
    Total population:1,841,053316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):24,0383,531,905
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:93.6%73.6%
    Black/African American:3.3%12.6%
    Asian:0.7%5.1%
    Native American:0.2%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:2%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:1.4%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:85%86.7%
    College graduation rate:19.2%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$41,751$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:22.2%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in West Virginia.
    **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

    Presidential voting pattern

    See also: Presidential voting trends in West Virginia

    West Virginia voted Republican in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.


    More West Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia

    See also

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ This average includes states like Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, which did not participate in all 30 presidential elections between 1900 and 2016. It does not include Washington, D.C., which cast votes for president for the first time in 1964, or Alaska and Hawaii, which cast votes for president for the first time in 1960.
    2. ↑ U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, "Electoral Votes, 1916-1924," accessed August 1, 2016
    3. ↑ This number refers to the number of times that the state voted for the winning presidential candidate between 2000 and 2016.
    4. ↑ U.S. Election Atlas, "2012 Presidential Election Results," accessed December 29, 2014
    5. ↑ Archives.gov, "About the Electors," accessed July 28, 2016
    6. ↑ Congressional Research Service, "The Electoral College: How it works in contemporary presidential elections," April 13, 2016
    7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing By Office," accessed February 2, 2016
    8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Democratic National Committee, "2016 Democratic National Convention Delegate/Alternate Allocation," updated February 19, 2016
    9. ↑ The Green Papers, "2016 Democratic Convention," accessed May 7, 2021
    10. ↑ Democratic National Committee's Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection, "Unpledged Delegates -- By State," May 27, 2016
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
    12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
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