Earl Ray Tomblin
35th Governor of West Virginia
In office November 13, 2011 – January 16, 2017 Acting: November 15, 2010 – November 13, 2011
Lieutenant	Jeff Kessler Bill Cole
Preceded by	Joe Manchin
Succeeded by	Jim Justice
President of the West Virginia Senate Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia[a]
In office January 3, 1995 – November 13, 2011
Governor	Gaston Caperton Cecil Underwood Bob Wise Joe Manchin Himself (acting)
Preceded by	Keith Burdette
Succeeded by	Jeff Kessler
Member of the West Virginia Senate from the 7th district
In office December 1, 1980 – November 13, 2011
Preceded by	Ned Grubb
Succeeded by	Art Kirkendoll
Personal details
Born	(1952-03-15) March 15, 1952 (age 71) Logan County, West Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Joanne Jaeger ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	1
Education	West Virginia University (BS) Marshall University (MBA)
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Earl Ray Tomblin (born March 15, 1952) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of West Virginia from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the West Virginia Senate from 1980 to 2011 and as president of the West Virginia Senate from 1995 to 2011. Tomblin became acting governor in November 2010 following Joe Manchin's election to the U.S. Senate. He won a special election in October 2011 to fill the unexpired term ending on January 14, 2013, and was elected to a full term as governor in November 2012.

Early life and education

Tomblin was born in Logan County, West Virginia, and is the son of Freda M. (née Jarrell) and Earl Tomblin. His mother was 18 years old when he was born.^[1] He has a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and then went along to receive a Master of Business Administration degree from Marshall University.^[2]

State Legislature and Senate President

Tomblin was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1974, and reelected in 1976 and 1978. He won election to the Senate for the 7th district in 1980 and was subsequently re-elected every four years until his election as governor.

Tomblin was elected on January 3, 1995, as the 48th President of the West Virginia Senate. Having served in the position for almost seventeen years, he is the longest serving Senate President in West Virginia's history. Tomblin became the first Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia upon creation of the honorary designation in 2000.

As a senator, he represented the 7th Senate District encompassing Boone, Lincoln, Logan, and Wayne counties.^[3]

Acting governor

Tomblin became acting governor when Joe Manchin resigned after being elected to fill the United States Senate seat of the late Senator Robert Byrd. Tomblin is the first person to serve as acting governor under West Virginia's current constitution.

While acting governor, Tomblin also retained the title of Senate President, per the state constitution.^[4] However, he did not participate in legislative business or preside over the Senate while acting governor.

Governor of West Virginia

Elections

2011 special

In 2011, Tomblin stated his desire to run for the governorship. Following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeals on January 18, 2011, a special gubernatorial election was scheduled for October 4, 2011.^[5][6] Tomblin was successful in the Democratic primary, beating a field of six contenders, while Morgantown businessman Bill Maloney emerged as the Republican nominee in the May 14 primary. Tomblin went on to win the general election against Maloney and was sworn in as governor on November 13, 2011.^[7] Immediately before taking the oath as governor, Tomblin officially resigned from both the offices of Senate President and state senator.^[8]

2012

Tomblin ran for election to a full term in 2012, and defeated Maloney in a rematch.

Tenure

In the 2016 presidential election, Tomblin endorsed fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton.^[9]

Abortion

Tomblin is anti-abortion.^[10][11] Despite this, in March 2014, Tomblin vetoed a bill that would have banned abortions in West Virginia after 20 weeks, which he said was due to constitutionality issues.^[10] In March 2015, Tomblin again vetoed the bill; however, his veto was overridden by the West Virginia legislature.^[11][12]

Approval ratings

A May 2013 survey by Republican strategist Mark Blankenship showed Tomblin's job approval rating to be at 69 percent, unchanged from two months earlier.^[13] According to a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling in September 2013, Tomblin had an approval rating of 47 percent with 35 percent disapproving, up from 44 percent in 2011.^[14]

Term limit

Tomblin was barred from running for a second full term in 2016. Under the West Virginia Constitution, a partial term counts toward the limit of two consecutive terms.

Personal life

Tomblin was married on September 8, 1979, to Joanne Jaeger, a native New Yorker and graduate of Marshall University, who served as the president of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College from 1999 to 2015.^[15][16] They reside in Chapmanville and have one son, Brent. Tomblin attends the First Presbyterian Church of Logan.

Electoral history