2020 West Virginia Attorney General election
November 3, 2020
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Morrisey: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Petsonk: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 50% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in West Virginia |
|---|
The 2020 West Virginia Attorney General election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the West Virginia Attorney General, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, and other state and local elections. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, primary elections were held on June 9, 2020, instead of the originally scheduled date of May 12.[1]
Incumbent Republican attorney general Patrick Morrisey won re-election to a third term in office against Democratic layer Sam Petsonk.[2]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Patrick Morrisey, incumbent attorney general (2013–present) and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Patrick Morrisey (incumbent) | 175,292 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 175,292 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Sam Petsonk, lawyer[5]
Eliminated in primary
- Isaac Sponaugle, state delegate from the 55th district (2013–present)[6]
Endorsements
Isaac Sponaugle
Labor unions
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sam Petsonk | 86,490 | 50.07 | |
| Democratic | Isaac Sponaugle | 86,263 | 49.93 | |
| Total votes | 172,753 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[9] | Likely R | October 28, 2020 |
Post-primary endorsements
Patrick Morrisey (R)
Executive branch officials
- Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States (2017–present) and Republican nominee for president in 2020[10]
Sam Petsonk (D)
U.S. senators
- Joe Manchin, incumbent U.S. senator from West Virginia (2010–present), former Governor of West Virginia (2005–2010), and former West Virginia Secretary of State (2001–2005)[11]
Labor unions
Newspapers and other media
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Patrick Morrisey (R) |
Sam Petsonk (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triton Polling Research/WMOV[15][16] | October 19–20, 2020 | 544 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 53% | 41% | 6% |
| Triton Polling Research/WMOV[17] | September 29–30, 2020 | 525 (V) | ± 4.3% | 53% | 41% | 6% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Patrick Morrisey (incumbent) | 487,250 | 63.77 | ||
| Democratic | Sam Petsonk | 276,798 | 36.23 | ||
| Total votes | 764,048 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
| County | Patrick Morrisey
Republican |
Sam Petsonk
Democratic |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Barbour | 4,491 | 69.38% | 1,982 | 30.62% | 2,509 | 38.76% | 6,473 |
| Berkeley | 34,559 | 68.67% | 15,767 | 31.33% | 18,792 | 37.34% | 50,326 |
| Boone | 5,423 | 62.59% | 3,241 | 37.41% | 2,182 | 25.18% | 8,664 |
| Braxton | 3,410 | 63.44% | 1,965 | 36.56% | 1,445 | 26.88% | 5,375 |
| Brooke | 6,475 | 63.87% | 3,663 | 36.13% | 2,812 | 27.74% | 10,138 |
| Cabell | 19,654 | 54.56% | 16,369 | 45.44% | 3,285 | 9.02% | 36,023 |
| Calhoun | 1,964 | 70.93% | 805 | 29.07% | 1,159 | 41.86% | 2,769 |
| Clay | 2,233 | 68.83% | 1,011 | 31.17% | 1,222 | 37.66% | 3,244 |
| Doddridge | 2,281 | 76.96% | 683 | 23.04% | 1,598 | 53.92% | 2,964 |
| Fayette | 9,277 | 57.21% | 6,938 | 42.79% | 2,339 | 14.42% | 16,215 |
| Gilmer | 1,630 | 64.50% | 897 | 35.50% | 733 | 29.00% | 2,527 |
| Grant | 4,414 | 87.15% | 651 | 12.85% | 3,763 | 74.30% | 5,065 |
| Greenbrier | 9,862 | 63.90% | 5,572 | 36.10% | 4,290 | 27.80% | 15,434 |
| Hampshire | 7,778 | 80.85% | 1,842 | 19.15% | 5,936 | 61.70% | 9,620 |
| Hancock | 8,767 | 66.33% | 4,450 | 33.67% | 4,317 | 32.66% | 13,217 |
| Hardy | 4,682 | 76.47% | 1,441 | 23.53% | 3,241 | 52.94% | 6,123 |
| Harrison | 17,993 | 61.31% | 11,355 | 38.69% | 6,638 | 22.62% | 29,348 |
| Jackson | 9,016 | 69.08% | 4,036 | 30.92% | 4,980 | 38.16% | 13,052 |
| Jefferson | 15,978 | 59.00% | 11,105 | 41.00% | 4,873 | 18.00% | 27,083 |
| Kanawha | 41,247 | 51.90% | 38,228 | 48.10% | 3,019 | 3.80% | 79,475 |
| Lewis | 5,113 | 69.96% | 2,195 | 30.04% | 2,918 | 39.92% | 7,308 |
| Lincoln | 4,932 | 66.38% | 2,498 | 33.62% | 2,434 | 32.76% | 7,430 |
| Logan | 8,379 | 70.97% | 3,427 | 29.03% | 4,952 | 41.94% | 11,806 |
| Marion | 13,784 | 55.29% | 11,148 | 44.71% | 2,636 | 10.58% | 24,932 |
| Marshall | 8,658 | 64.11% | 4,846 | 35.89% | 3,812 | 28.22% | 13,504 |
| Mason | 7,146 | 66.18% | 3,652 | 33.82% | 3,494 | 32.36% | 10,798 |
| McDowell | 4,224 | 71.39% | 1,693 | 28.61% | 2,531 | 42.78% | 5,917 |
| Mercer | 17,317 | 71.16% | 7,018 | 28.84% | 10,299 | 42.32% | 24,335 |
| Mineral | 9,955 | 79.90% | 2,504 | 20.10% | 7,451 | 59.80% | 12,459 |
| Mingo | 6,875 | 74.93% | 2,300 | 25.07% | 4,575 | 49.86% | 9,175 |
| Monongalia | 19,742 | 48.45% | 21,008 | 51.55% | -1,266 | -3.10% | 40,750 |
| Monroe | 4,526 | 72.40% | 1,725 | 27.60% | 2,801 | 44.80% | 6,251 |
| Morgan | 6,471 | 77.46% | 1,883 | 22.54% | 4,588 | 54.92% | 8,354 |
| Nicholas | 6,902 | 67.67% | 3,298 | 32.33% | 3,604 | 35.34% | 10,200 |
| Ohio | 11,040 | 57.33% | 8,217 | 42.67% | 2,823 | 14.66% | 19,257 |
| Pendleton | 2,564 | 74.10% | 896 | 25.90% | 1,668 | 48.20% | 3,460 |
| Pleasants | 2,361 | 71.11% | 959 | 28.89% | 1,402 | 42.22% | 3,320 |
| Pocahontas | 2,510 | 66.65% | 1,256 | 33.35% | 1,254 | 33.30% | 3,766 |
| Preston | 10,253 | 73.40% | 3,715 | 26.60% | 6,538 | 46.80% | 13,968 |
| Putnam | 17,642 | 64.00% | 9,942 | 36.00% | 7,700 | 28.00% | 27,614 |
| Raleigh | 21,434 | 67.32% | 10,404 | 32.68% | 11,030 | 34.64% | 31,838 |
| Randolph | 7,450 | 63.49% | 4,284 | 36.51% | 3,166 | 26.98% | 11,734 |
| Ritchie | 3,140 | 77.68% | 902 | 22.32% | 2,238 | 55.36% | 4,042 |
| Roane | 3,742 | 67.44% | 1,807 | 32.56% | 1,935 | 34.88% | 5,549 |
| Summers | 3,398 | 64.03% | 1,909 | 35.97% | 1,489 | 28.06% | 5,307 |
| Taylor | 4,776 | 66.45% | 2,411 | 33.55% | 2,365 | 32.90% | 7,187 |
| Tucker | 2,365 | 64.07% | 1,326 | 35.93% | 1,039 | 28.14% | 3,691 |
| Tyler | 2,745 | 73.18% | 1,006 | 26.82% | 1,739 | 46.36% | 3,751 |
| Upshur | 6,975 | 70.85% | 2,870 | 29.15% | 4,105 | 41.70% | 9,845 |
| Wayne | 10,630 | 66.83% | 5,276 | 33.17% | 5,354 | 33.66% | 15,906 |
| Webster | 2,126 | 67.47% | 1,025 | 32.53% | 1,101 | 34.94% | 3,151 |
| Wetzel | 4,000 | 63.25% | 2,324 | 36.75% | 1,676 | 26.50% | 6,324 |
| Wirt | 1,903 | 75.13% | 630 | 24.87% | 1,273 | 50.26% | 2,533 |
| Wood | 25,074 | 67.10% | 12,292 | 32.90% | 12,782 | 34.20% | 37,366 |
| Wyoming | 5,934 | 73.40% | 2,151 | 26.60% | 3,783 | 46.80% | 8,085 |
| Totals | 487,250 | 63.77% | 276,798 | 36.23% | 210,452 | 27.54% | 764,048 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Morrisey won 10 counties that had previously voted for Democratic candidate Doug Reynolds in 2016.[19]
- Boone (largest city: Madison)
- Braxton (largest city: Sutton)
- Cabell (largest city: Huntington)
- Fayette (largest city: Oak Hill)
- Harrison (largest city: Clarksburg)
- Kanawha (largest city: Charleston)
- Lincoln (largest city: Hamlin)
- Marion (largest city: Fairmont)
- Wayne (largest city: Kenova)
- Wetzel (largest city: New Martinsville)
By congressional district
Morrisey won all three congressional districts.[20]
| District | Morrisey | Petsonk | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 63% | 37% | David McKinley |
| 2nd | 63% | 37% | Alex Mooney |
| 3rd | 65% | 35% | Carol Miller |
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References
- ^ "2020 State and Presidential Primary Dates, Chronological". National Conference of State Legislatures. December 15, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ Allen Adams, Stephen (November 4, 2020). "Morrisey wins third term as W.Va. Attorney General". The Marietta Times. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "Patrick Morrisey wins reelection for W.Va. Attorney General". WDTV 5. November 4, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "ATTORNEY GENERAL - REP". West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ King, Joselyn (August 17, 2019). "Beckley Lawyer Sam Petsonk to Seek West Virginia Attorney General's Office in 2020". The Intelligencer. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "Candidate Profile: Isaac Sponaugle". The Journal. May 6, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "West Virginia AFL-CIO Endorses Isaac Sponaugle for Attorney General". West Virginia AFL-CIO. March 19, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "ATTORNEY GENERAL - DEM". West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ Jacobson, Louis (October 28, 2020). "Final 2020 State Legislature, Secretary of State and Attorney General Handicapping". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "President Trump endorses W.Va. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey". WDTV 5. November 3, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "ICYMI: Senator Joe Manchin Endorses Sam Brown Petsonk in WV AG Race". Democratic Attorneys General Association. October 5, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ Allen, Emily (August 4, 2020). "UMWA Endorses Ben Salango For W.Va. Governor". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
The UMWA announced Tuesday it's also endorsing Democratic candidate Sam Petsonk for attorney general.
- ^ "Gazette-Mail endorses Petsonk for attorney general". Charleston Gazette-Mail. October 8, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "Editorial: Warner, Petsonk have earned voter approval". The Herald-Dispatch. October 9, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "WMOV Ravenswood WV - Survey of Likely 2020 General Election Voters in West Virginia" (PDF). Triton Polling & Research. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "Latest WMOV/Triton poll shows Republican incumbents likely to win big on election night". WDTV 5. October 24, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ Patterson, Jessica (October 6, 2020). "Poll shows incumbents leading races for surveyed WV voters". WOWK-TV. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ a b "November 3, 2020 General Election". West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "West Virginia Attorney General Results: Patrick Morrisey Wins". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ^ "WV 2020 Congressional". Dave's Redistricting. Retrieved February 20, 2026.