1996 West Virginia gubernatorial election

none related races 1996 United States gubernatorial elections January 2025 September 2023 1996 West Virginia gubernatorial election West Virginia presidential no 1992 West Virginia gubernatorial election 1992 2000 West Virginia gubernatorial election 2000 November 5, 1996 File:Cecil Underwood 1998 (cropped).jpg 150x150px Cecil Underwood Republican Party (United States) 324,518 51.61% 3x4.svg Charlotte Pritt Democratic Party (United States) 287,870 45.84% 1996 West Virginia gubernatorial election results map by county.svg 250px County resultsUnderwood: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80%Pritt: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% Governor Gaston Caperton Democratic Party (United States) Cecil Underwood Republican Party (United States) The 1996 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1996 to elect the governor of West Virginia. Republican Cecil Underwood, who had previously been the governor of West Virginia from 1957 to 1961, defeated Democratic State Senator Charlotte Pritt. Concurrently, the state voted the opposite way federally, choosing Democratic U.S. presidential nominee, incumbent Bill Clinton over Republican nominee Bob Dole in the presidential election that year. Pritt was the first woman to secure the West Virginia gubernatorial nomination of either of the two major political parties. This was the last time a Republican was elected governor of West Virginia until 2020. Former Republican Jim Justice was elected in the 2016 election as a Democrat and later switched back to the Republican Party seven months into his term, making him the first Republican governor since 2001 when Underwood left office. Democratic primary Candidates Bob Henry Baber Larrie Bailey, former state treasurer Louis J. Davis Jim Lees, attorney Joe Manchin III, state senator from Fairmont Richard E. Moon Bobbie Edward Myers Charlotte Pritt, former state senator from Charleston and candidate for governor in 1992 Frank Rochetti Lyle Sattes Fred Schell West Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1996http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=7224 WV Governor - D Primary 1996 Our Campaigns September 18, 2017 Democratic Party (United States) Charlotte Pritt 130,107 39.54% Democratic Party (United States) Joe Manchin 107,124 32.56% Democratic Party (United States) Jim Lees 64,100 19.48% Democratic Party (United States) Larrie Bailey 15,733 4.78% Democratic Party (United States) Bobbie Edward Myers 3,038 0.92% Democratic Party (United States) Lyle Sattes 2,931 0.89% Democratic Party (United States) Bob Henry Baber 1,456 0.44% Democratic Party (United States) Louis J. Davis 1,351 0.41% Democratic Party (United States) Frank Rochetti 1,330 0.40% Democratic Party (United States) Richard E. Koon 1,154 0.35% Democratic Party (United States) Fred Schell 733 0.22% 329,057 100.00% Republican primary Candidates Jon McBride, retired astronaut, Navy veteran, and businessman David McKinley, former state delegate, and former state party chair Cecil Underwood, former governor and nominee for U.S. Senate in 1960 West Virginia Republican gubernatorial primary, 1996https://sos.wv.gov/elections/Documents/HistElecDocs/1996/1996%20Primary%20Election%20-%20Official%20Returns%20of%20the%20Republican%20party.pdf 1996 Primary Election - Official Returns of the Republican party WV Secretary of State 6 March 2021 September 15, 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190915103947/https://sos.wv.gov/elections/Documents/HistElecDocs/1996/1996%20Primary%20Election%20-%20Official%20Returns%20of%20the%20Republican%20party.pdf dead Republican Party (United States) Cecil Underwood 54,628 40.78% Republican Party (United States) Jon McBride 44,255 33.03% Republican Party (United States) David McKinley 35,089 26.19% 133,972 100.00% General election Results West Virginia gubernatorial election, 1996http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections Republican Party (United States) Cecil Underwood 324,518 51.63% +15.07% Democratic Party (United States) Charlotte Pritt 287,870 45.80% -10.21% Libertarian Party (US) Wallace Johnson 16,171 2.57% +2.57% 36,648 5.83% -13.62% 628,559 100.00% N/A Republican Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) By county CountyHolmes Darrell West Virginia Blue Book 1997 708 https://www.wvlegislature.gov/legisdocs/publications/bluebook/WVS_Bluebook_1997.pdf 15 May 2026Cecil UnderwoodRepublicanCharlotte PrittDemocraticWallace Johnson LibertarianMarginTotal#%#%#%#%Barbour3,21453.75%2,59643.42%1692.83%61810.34%5,979Berkeley10,66653.34%8,85144.26%4792.40%1,8159.08%19,996Boone2,84632.26%5,78765.60%1892.14%−2,941−33.34%8,822Braxton2,27646.10%2,56952.04%921.86%−293−5.93%4,937Brooke4,15844.37%4,94252.74%2712.89%−784−8.37%9,371Cabell18,48058.00%12,52439.30%8602.70%5,95618.69%31,864Calhoun1,50854.98%1,19143.42%441.60%31711.56%2,743Clay1,71047.97%1,76049.37%952.66%−50−1.40%3,565Doddridge1,79769.36%73528.37%592.28%1,06240.99%2,591Fayette5,42737.44%8,55859.04%5113.53%−3,131−21.60%14,496Gilmer1,56059.36%1,02639.04%421.60%53420.32%2,628Grant3,23375.66%97322.77%671.57%2,26052.89%4,273Greenbrier6,70554.95%5,12942.03%3693.02%1,57612.91%12,203Hampshire3,33957.71%2,33540.36%1121.94%1,00417.35%5,786Hancock5,70142.13%7,61056.24%2201.63%−1,909−14.11%13,531Hardy2,90969.49%1,21429.00%631.51%1,69540.49%4,186Harrison13,74451.48%12,30346.08%6532.45%1,4415.40%26,700Jackson5,81457.46%4,04639.98%2592.56%1,76817.47%10,119Jefferson5,98647.30%6,37050.34%2992.36%−384−3.03%12,655Kanawha41,77656.11%30,79541.36%1,8862.53%10,98114.75%74,457Lewis3,60458.39%2,35538.16%2133.45%1,24920.24%6,172Lincoln3,28139.61%4,81558.13%1872.26%−1,534−18.52%8,283Logan4,16427.14%11,01071.77%1671.09%−6,846−44.63%15,341Marion9,81844.95%11,54452.85%4792.19%−1,726−7.90%21,841Marshall6,48147.67%6,63048.76%4853.57%−149−1.10%13,596Mason5,53953.00%4,60244.03%3102.97%9378.97%10,451McDowell2,50230.21%5,65368.26%1261.52%−3,151−38.05%8,281Mercer9,74852.54%8,37345.13%4342.34%1,3757.41%18,555Mineral5,13456.62%3,68440.63%2502.76%1,45015.99%9,068Mingo3,21029.68%7,46669.02%1411.30%−4,256−39.35%10,817Monongalia13,80851.83%12,08945.38%7432.79%1,7196.45%26,640Monroe2,82156.07%2,10941.92%1012.01%71214.15%5,031Morgan2,75854.70%2,23744.37%470.93%52110.33%5,042Nicholas3,90146.36%4,25250.53%2613.10%−351−4.17%8,414Ohio9,85355.50%7,48242.14%4182.35%2,37113.36%17,753Pendleton1,91159.29%1,26639.28%461.43%64520.01%3,223Pleasants1,89960.25%1,16436.93%892.82%73523.32%3,152Pocahontas1,80053.99%1,47444.21%601.80%3269.78%3,334Preston6,11559.18%3,93938.12%2792.70%2,17621.06%10,333Putnam11,58263.46%6,05233.16%6183.39%5,53030.30%18,252Raleigh11,63849.60%10,84146.20%9874.21%7973.40%23,466Randolph5,30052.68%4,38943.63%3713.69%9119.06%10,060Ritchie2,55366.47%1,20731.42%812.11%1,34635.04%3,841Roane2,86255.06%2,22542.80%1112.14%63712.25%5,198Summers2,13749.27%2,07347.80%1272.93%641.48%4,337Taylor3,17357.46%2,18639.59%1632.95%98717.87%5,522Tucker1,81455.82%1,32340.71%1133.48%49115.11%3,250Tyler2,75071.84%1,00626.28%721.88%1,74445.56%3,828Upshur4,68265.05%2,35132.67%1642.28%2,33132.39%7,197Wayne7,39048.13%7,60149.51%3622.36%−211−1.37%15,353Webster1,18335.35%2,09062.44%742.21%−907−27.10%3,347Wetzel3,19451.96%2,79945.53%1542.51%3956.43%6,147Wirt1,21957.66%83239.36%632.98%38718.31%2,114Wood18,67958.51%12,31938.59%9272.90%6,36019.92%31,925Wyoming3,16637.28%5,11860.26%2092.46%−1,952−22.98%8,493Totals 324,518 51.63% 287,870 45.80% 16,171 2.57% 36,648 5.83% 628,559 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Barbour Berkeley Calhoun Cabell Gilmer Hardy Jackson Kanawha Lewis Mason Mercer Mineral Monongalia Monroe Ohio Pendleton Preston Raleigh Randolph Roane Taylor Summers Tyler Tucker Harrison Pleasants Putnam Upshur Wetzel Wirt Wood References West Virginia 1996 Gubernatorial