West Virginia House of Delegates District 89 is vacant.
As of the 2020 Census, West Virginia state representatives represented an average of 13,486 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 13,932 residents.
Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. West Virginia legislators assume office the first day of December following the election.
Section 12 of Article 6 of the West Virginia Constitution states, "No person shall be a senator or delegate who has not for one year next preceding his election, been a resident within the district or county from which he is elected; and if a senator or delegate remove from the district or county for which he was elected, his seat shall be thereby vacated."[1]
Section 13 of Article 6 of the West Virginia Constitution states, "No person holding any other lucrative office or employment under this state, the United States, or any foreign government; no member of Congress; and no person who is sheriff, constable, or clerk of any court of record, shall be eligible to a seat in the Legislature."
State legislative salaries, 2022 | |
---|---|
Salary | Per diem |
$20,000/year | $131/day. Set by compensation commission. Unvouchered. |
If there is a vacancy in the West Virginia State Legislature, the governor must select a replacement to fill the vacant seat.[2][3]
For vacancies in the House of Delegates, the executive committee of the political party that holds the seat can submit a list of three candidates to the governor. The list must be submitted to the governor within 15 days of the vacancy. The governor must make a selection within five days of receiving the list. If the committee does not submit a list within 15 days, the governor must appoint someone of the same political party as the person who left office. The person that is selected to fill the vacancy serves the remainder of the unfilled term.[3]
For vacancies in the Senate, a gubernatorial appointment is required if less than two months and two years are left in the vacant senator's term. A temporary gubernatorial appointment is required for any vacancy that has more than two months and two years remaining. The person who is selected by the governor to fill the seat on an interim basis, serves until the next scheduled general election. A special election must be held to determine a permanent replacement. The executive committee of the political party that holds the vacant Senate seat is responsible for making recommendations to the governor on any appointment.[3]
See sources: West Virginia Const. Art. 4, Sec. 7 and West Virginia Code Ann. §3-10-5
West Virginia enacted district maps for the Senate and House of Delegates on October 22, 2021.[4] On September 30, 2021, the House Redistricting Committees released a single-member district map proposal for the West Virginia House of Delegates.[5] The proposal passed the House on October 13, 2021, in a 79-20 vote and passed the Senate on October 18, 2021, in a 28-5 vote.[6] On October 5, 2021, the Senate Redistricting Committee released five map proposals for West Virginia's State Senate districts.[7] On October 11, 2021, the Senate Redistricting Committee voted to recommend Sen. Charles S. Trump IV's (R) 8th proposed senate map to the full Senate.[8] The Senate approved a map that combined aspects of previous proposals in a 31-2 vote on October 19, 2021. The map, named after Sens. Trump, Tom Takubo (R), Eric Tarr (R) Patricia Rucker (R), and Robert Karnes (R) was approved by the House in a 72-19 vote. Both the House and Senate maps were signed into law by Gov. Jim Justice (R) on October 20, 2021.[9] These maps took effect for West Virginia's 2022 legislative elections.
On the Senate map, Sen. Trump said, “This amendment I believe reconciles and harmonizes some of the issues that were points of contention. This is the product of conversations and compromises over a long period of time by a great number of people.”[10]
“There is a faction within the Republican Party that is worried about their reelection when they shouldn’t be. They should worry about how the state works and how to make it work," said Sen. Mike Romano (D).[11]
How does redistricting in West Virginia work? In West Virginia, congressional and state legislative district boundaries are set by the West Virginia State Legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor.[12]
The West Virginia Constitution requires that state Senate districts be "compact, contiguous, and bounded by county lines where doing so is not otherwise unlawful." There are no such requirements in place for congressional or state House districts.[12]
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Darren Thorne defeated Robert Wolford in the general election for West Virginia House of Delegates District 89 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
✔ |
|
Darren Thorne (R) |
75.2
|
3,762 |
|
Robert Wolford (Independent) |
24.8
|
1,240 |
Total votes: 5,002 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |
Darren Thorne defeated incumbent Ruth Rowan in the Republican primary for West Virginia House of Delegates District 89 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate |
% |
Votes |
||
✔ |
|
Darren Thorne |
51.0
|
991 |
|
Ruth Rowan |
49.0
|
954 |
Total votes: 1,945 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. |