2012 West Virginia gubernatorial election
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The 2012 West Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2012, to elect the governor of West Virginia. Democratic incumbent Earl Ray Tomblin, who was elected governor in a special election in 2011, was elected to a full four-year term. The election was a rematch of the 2011 special election.
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November 6, 2012
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  Tomblin: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Maloney: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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As of 2026, this was the last time a Democratic governor was re-elected in the state, the last time a Democrat won and served a full term as Governor of West Virginia,[a]and the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of West Virginia with a majority of votes.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Arne Moltis, candidate for governor in 2011[1]
- Earl Ray Tomblin, incumbent governor[2]
Declined
- Jeff Kessler, state senator, president of the state senate, and candidate for governor in 2011[3]
- Brooks McCabe, state senator[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Earl Ray Tomblin (incumbent) | 170,481 | 84.4% | |
| Democratic | Arne Moltis | 31,587 | 15.6% | |
| Total votes | 202,068 | 100.0% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Ralph William Clark, philosophy professor at West Virginia University and candidate for governor in 2011[5]
- Bill Maloney, businessman and Republican nominee for governor in 2011[5]
Declined
- Clark Barnes, state senator and candidate for governor in 2011[3] (did not file)
- Mark Sorsaia, Putnam County prosecutor and candidate for governor in 2011[3] (did not file)
- Mike Stuart, West Virginia Republican Party chairman[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Maloney | 86,925 | 83.5% | |
| Republican | Ralph William Clark | 17,165 | 16.5% | |
| Total votes | 104,090 | 100.0% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Jesse Johnson (Mountain), former gubernatorial and senate nominee[7]
- Bill Maloney (R), businessman and Republican nominee for governor in 2011
- David Moran (Libertarian), farmer and retired engineer[8]
- Earl Ray Tomblin (D), incumbent governor
Other potential candidates
- Norman Ferguson (NPA)[3]
- Phil Hudok (Constitution), write-in candidate for governor in 2011[3]
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 9, 2012 - C-SPAN
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[9] | Lean D | November 1, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[10] | Lean D | November 5, 2012 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[11] | Lean D | November 2, 2012 |
| Real Clear Politics[12] | Likely D | November 5, 2012 |
Polling
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Earl Ray Tomblin (incumbent) | 335,468 | 50.49% | +0.94% | |
| Republican | Bill Maloney | 303,291 | 45.65% | −1.40% | |
| Mountain | Jesse Johnson | 16,787 | 2.53% | +0.51% | |
| Libertarian | David Moran | 8,909 | 1.34% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 664,455 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic hold | |||||
By county
| County | Earl Ray Tomblin Democratic |
Bill Maloney Republican |
Jesse Johnson Mountain |
David Moran Libertarian |
Margin | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Barbour | 2,757 | 47.98% | 2,789 | 48.54% | 101 | 1.76% | 99 | 1.72% | −32 | −0.56% | 5,746 |
| Berkeley | 17,195 | 47.13% | 17,999 | 49.33% | 635 | 1.74% | 658 | 1.80% | −804 | −2.20% | 36,487 |
| Boone | 5,800 | 66.99% | 2,624 | 30.31% | 180 | 2.08% | 54 | 0.62% | 3,176 | 36.68% | 8,658 |
| Braxton | 2,796 | 59.10% | 1,784 | 37.71% | 115 | 2.43% | 36 | 0.76% | 1,012 | 21.39% | 4,731 |
| Brooke | 5,067 | 55.49% | 3,797 | 41.58% | 133 | 1.46% | 135 | 1.48% | 1,270 | 13.91% | 9,132 |
| Cabell | 17,447 | 54.52% | 13,357 | 41.74% | 801 | 2.50% | 396 | 1.24% | 4,090 | 12.78% | 32,001 |
| Calhoun | 1,051 | 48.50% | 986 | 45.50% | 96 | 4.43% | 34 | 1.57% | 65 | 3.00% | 2,167 |
| Clay | 1,605 | 52.99% | 1,278 | 42.19% | 126 | 4.16% | 20 | 0.66% | 327 | 10.80% | 3,029 |
| Doddridge | 872 | 32.00% | 1,721 | 63.16% | 94 | 3.45% | 38 | 1.39% | −849 | −31.16% | 2,725 |
| Fayette | 7,353 | 52.67% | 5,932 | 42.49% | 505 | 3.62% | 170 | 1.22% | 1,421 | 10.18% | 13,960 |
| Gilmer | 1,345 | 53.71% | 1,033 | 41.25% | 89 | 3.55% | 37 | 1.48% | 312 | 12.46% | 2,504 |
| Grant | 1,453 | 32.35% | 2,919 | 64.98% | 64 | 1.42% | 56 | 1.25% | −1,466 | −32.64% | 4,492 |
| Greenbrier | 6,357 | 49.52% | 5,821 | 45.35% | 482 | 3.75% | 177 | 1.38% | 536 | 4.18% | 12,837 |
| Hampshire | 3,610 | 45.79% | 3,944 | 50.03% | 188 | 2.38% | 142 | 1.80% | −334 | −4.24% | 7,884 |
| Hancock | 6,077 | 51.06% | 5,454 | 45.83% | 184 | 1.55% | 186 | 1.56% | 623 | 5.23% | 11,901 |
| Hardy | 2,868 | 55.87% | 2,074 | 40.41% | 100 | 1.95% | 91 | 1.77% | 794 | 15.47% | 5,133 |
| Harrison | 12,818 | 49.18% | 12,460 | 47.80% | 534 | 2.05% | 253 | 0.97% | 358 | 1.37% | 26,065 |
| Jackson | 5,508 | 47.48% | 5,711 | 49.23% | 296 | 2.55% | 85 | 0.73% | −203 | −1.75% | 11,600 |
| Jefferson | 11,091 | 50.97% | 9,514 | 43.72% | 666 | 3.06% | 490 | 2.25% | 1,577 | 7.25% | 21,761 |
| Kanawha | 38,785 | 52.21% | 31,584 | 42.52% | 3,352 | 4.51% | 563 | 0.76% | 7,201 | 9.69% | 74,284 |
| Lewis | 2,920 | 46.03% | 3,192 | 50.32% | 135 | 2.13% | 96 | 1.51% | −272 | −4.29% | 6,343 |
| Lincoln | 4,241 | 61.32% | 2,476 | 35.80% | 152 | 2.20% | 47 | 0.68% | 1,765 | 25.52% | 6,916 |
| Logan | 9,480 | 78.83% | 2,393 | 19.90% | 89 | 0.74% | 64 | 0.53% | 7,087 | 58.93% | 12,026 |
| Marion | 11,358 | 53.05% | 9,236 | 43.14% | 446 | 2.08% | 370 | 1.73% | 2,122 | 9.91% | 21,410 |
| Marshall | 6,593 | 51.53% | 5,807 | 45.38% | 241 | 1.88% | 154 | 1.20% | 786 | 6.14% | 12,795 |
| Mason | 5,212 | 53.42% | 4,229 | 43.35% | 211 | 2.16% | 104 | 1.07% | 983 | 10.08% | 9,756 |
| McDowell | 4,007 | 65.94% | 1,919 | 31.58% | 88 | 1.45% | 63 | 1.04% | 2,088 | 34.36% | 6,077 |
| Mercer | 9,257 | 44.36% | 10,974 | 52.59% | 410 | 1.96% | 226 | 1.08% | −1,717 | −8.23% | 20,867 |
| Mineral | 4,874 | 44.72% | 5,708 | 52.37% | 120 | 1.10% | 197 | 1.81% | −834 | −7.65% | 10,899 |
| Mingo | 6,078 | 68.44% | 2,656 | 29.91% | 95 | 1.07% | 52 | 0.59% | 3,422 | 38.53% | 8,881 |
| Monongalia | 14,160 | 45.73% | 15,034 | 48.55% | 1,142 | 3.69% | 628 | 2.03% | −874 | −2.82% | 30,964 |
| Monroe | 2,320 | 45.04% | 2,592 | 50.32% | 177 | 3.44% | 62 | 1.20% | −272 | −5.28% | 5,151 |
| Morgan | 3,075 | 44.85% | 3,439 | 50.16% | 203 | 2.96% | 139 | 2.03% | −364 | −5.31% | 6,856 |
| Nicholas | 4,367 | 49.46% | 4,173 | 47.26% | 206 | 2.33% | 83 | 0.94% | 194 | 2.20% | 8,829 |
| Ohio | 8,603 | 48.67% | 8,519 | 48.19% | 338 | 1.91% | 217 | 1.23% | 84 | 0.48% | 17,677 |
| Pendleton | 1,720 | 53.40% | 1,391 | 43.19% | 68 | 2.11% | 42 | 1.30% | 329 | 10.21% | 3,221 |
| Pleasants | 1,452 | 51.49% | 1,306 | 46.31% | 31 | 1.10% | 31 | 1.10% | 146 | 5.18% | 2,820 |
| Pocahontas | 1,863 | 53.40% | 1,384 | 39.67% | 185 | 5.30% | 57 | 1.63% | 479 | 13.73% | 3,489 |
| Preston | 4,096 | 37.30% | 6,020 | 54.82% | 220 | 2.00% | 645 | 5.87% | −1,924 | −17.52% | 10,981 |
| Putnam | 10,303 | 43.67% | 12,534 | 53.13% | 584 | 2.48% | 172 | 0.73% | −2,231 | −9.46% | 23,593 |
| Raleigh | 12,602 | 44.43% | 14,900 | 52.53% | 577 | 2.03% | 284 | 1.00% | −2,298 | −8.10% | 28,363 |
| Randolph | 5,070 | 52.52% | 4,115 | 42.63% | 299 | 3.10% | 169 | 1.75% | 955 | 9.89% | 9,653 |
| Ritchie | 1,438 | 38.48% | 2,171 | 58.09% | 84 | 2.25% | 44 | 1.18% | −733 | −19.61% | 3,737 |
| Roane | 2,609 | 51.76% | 2,191 | 43.46% | 185 | 3.67% | 56 | 1.11% | 418 | 8.29% | 5,041 |
| Summers | 2,511 | 53.57% | 1,969 | 42.01% | 152 | 3.24% | 55 | 1.17% | 542 | 11.56% | 4,687 |
| Taylor | 2,755 | 46.62% | 2,969 | 50.24% | 87 | 1.47% | 99 | 1.68% | −214 | −3.62% | 5,910 |
| Tucker | 1,527 | 48.62% | 1,420 | 45.21% | 64 | 2.04% | 130 | 4.14% | 107 | 3.41% | 3,141 |
| Tyler | 1,424 | 43.90% | 1,711 | 52.74% | 68 | 2.10% | 41 | 1.26% | −287 | −8.85% | 3,244 |
| Upshur | 3,425 | 41.66% | 4,464 | 54.29% | 209 | 2.54% | 124 | 1.51% | −1,039 | −12.64% | 8,222 |
| Wayne | 7,713 | 55.08% | 5,928 | 42.33% | 241 | 1.72% | 122 | 0.87% | 1,785 | 12.75% | 14,004 |
| Webster | 1,635 | 58.58% | 1,019 | 36.51% | 100 | 3.58% | 37 | 1.33% | 616 | 22.07% | 2,791 |
| Wetzel | 3,282 | 56.19% | 2,367 | 40.52% | 117 | 2.00% | 75 | 1.28% | 915 | 15.67% | 5,841 |
| Wirt | 1,071 | 49.45% | 1,030 | 47.55% | 34 | 1.57% | 31 | 1.43% | 41 | 1.89% | 2,166 |
| Wood | 16,284 | 48.55% | 16,272 | 48.52% | 567 | 1.69% | 415 | 1.24% | 12 | 0.04% | 33,538 |
| Wyoming | 4,288 | 57.41% | 3,002 | 40.19% | 121 | 1.62% | 58 | 0.78% | 1,286 | 17.22% | 7,469 |
| Totals | 335,468 | 50.49% | 303,291 | 45.65% | 16,787 | 2.53% | 8,909 | 1.34% | 32,177 | 4.84% | 664,455 |
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Calhoun (Largest city: Grantsville)
- Gilmer (Largest city: Glenville)
- Hardy (Largest city: Moorefield)
- Jefferson (Largest city: Charles Town)
- Ohio (largest borough: Wheeling)
- Pendleton (Largest city: Franklin)
- Pocahontas (Largest city: Marlinton)
- Roane (Largest city: Spencer)
- Wirt (largest municipality: Elizabeth)
- Wood (largest municipality: Parkersburg)
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
By congressional district
Ray Tomblin won two of three congressional districts, including one that elected a Republican.[16]
| District | Ray Tomblin | Maloney | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 47.99% | 48.21% | David McKinley |
| 2nd | 49.4% | 46.19% | Shelley Moore Capito |
| 3rd | 54.43% | 42.25% | Nick Rahall |
Notes
- Then-Democrat Jim Justice won the 2016 election, but he became a Republican in 2017.