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 County results Manchin: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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The 2008 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Governor Joe Manchin III was the Democratic nominee, challenged by Republican nominee Russ Weeks and Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson. Manchin won every county in the state and was reelected by the largest margin for any gubernatorial candidate in West Virginia's history. Manchin won by over 44%, even as Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, lost the state to John McCain in the presidential election. As of 2024, this is the last time that Doddridge County has voted for a Democratic candidate for statewide office.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Manchin (incumbent) | 264,775 | 74.62 | |
| Democratic | Mel Kessler | 90,074 | 25.38 | |
| Total votes | 354,849 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Weeks | 81,019 | 100.00 | |
| Total votes | 81,019 | 100.00 | ||
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[2] | Safe D | October 16, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[3] | Safe D | November 2, 2008 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[4] | Safe D | November 3, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics[5] | Safe D | November 4, 2008 |
| Poll Source | Dates administered | Joe Manchin (D) |
Russ Weeks (R) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen Reports | October 20, 2008 | 71% | 21% |
| Public Policy Polling Archived 2009-02-03 at the Wayback Machine | October 30, 2008 | 69% | 27% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Manchin (incumbent) | 492,697 | 69.81% | +6.30% | |
| Republican | Russ Weeks | 181,612 | 25.73% | -8.27% | |
| Mountain | Jesse Johnson | 31,486 | 4.46% | +1.99% | |
| Margin of victory | 311,085 | 44.08% | +14.57% | ||
| Total votes | 705,795 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
