November 6, 2012 (2012-11-06) 2014 → 59.91% 40.09% Start date November 6, 2012 | 384,253 257,101 4.88% 4.21% | |
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The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the three U.S. Representatives from West Virginia, one from each of the state's three congressional districts. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 113th Congress from January 2013 until January 2015. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election. A Senate election was also held on that date, during which incumbent Joe Manchin III won re-election. As of 2016, this is the last time that a Democrat won a congressional district in West Virginia.
Contents
Redistricting
In August 2011, the West Virginia Legislature passed a redistricting plan which would make only minor changes to the state's congressional districts. Under the new map, Mason County is moved from the 2nd district to the 3rd district, while the 1st district is unchanged. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed the map into law on August 18.
District 1
Republican David McKinley, who has represented West Virginia's 1st congressional district since January 2011, will run for re-election.
Sue Thorn, a former community organizer, will challenge McKinley as the Democratic nominee. Thorn, who has raised significantly less money than McKinley, has said she is running "very much a grass-roots campaign."
Tim Manchin, a state delegate and cousin of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, will not run. Alan Mollohan, who represented the district from 1983 until 2011 but lost the Democratic primary in 2010, had also considered seeking the Democratic nomination, but did not file paperwork to run again. Former state senator Mike Oliverio, who unsuccessfully challenged McKinley as the Democratic nominee in 2010, had planned to run again but announced in December 2011 he would not do so.
General Election
District 2
Republican Shelley Moore Capito, who has represented West Virginia's 2nd congressional district since 2001, won a rare primary challenge. She defeated Michael Davis, and Jonathan Miller, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.
Howard Swint won the Democratic nomination to challenge Capito. He defeated Dugald Brown and William McCann. Thornton Cooper, a lawyer, had also considered seeking the Democratic nomination, but did not file paperwork to run.
During the general election, Capito won her seventh term to Congress with almost 70% of the vote.
General Election
District 3
Democrat Nick Rahall, who had represented West Virginia's 3rd congressional district since 1993, ran for re-election.
Rick Snuffer, a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates who unsuccessfully challenged Rahall as the Republican nominee in 2004, won the Republican nomination. He defeated Lee Bias and Bill Lester.