Harrison County 2024 Primary Voter Guide

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Depending on their party affiliation, voters in Harrison County will have several decisions to make in the 2024 Primary Election on Tuesday, May 14.

Democratic Ballot:

On the national ticket, President Joe Biden is running for the nomination against four largely-unknown candidates.

Three candidates are vying for the nomination to replace U.S. Senator Joe Manchin: Glenn Elliott of Wheeling, Don Blankenship from Mingo County and Zachary Shrewsbury of Princeton. Elliott is the current mayor of Wheeling and has been endorsed by Manchin . Shrewsbury is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a self-described “community and climate activist.” Blankenship, as many will remember, is the former CEO of Massey Energy who was convicted of conspiracy to violate federal mine safety laws surrounding the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion that killed 29 miners in 2010. In 2018, Blankenship ran for the U.S. Senate as a Republican, and in 2020, he ran for president as a third-party candidate.

On the state ticket, the only contested race is for attorney general, between Richie Robb , a lawyer and former South Charleston mayor, and Teresa Toriseva , who heads a law firm in Wheeling.

There are no contested races on the county level.

Republican Ballot:

Nationally, former President Donald Trump is up against four other candidates on the West Virginia ballot, with Nikki Haley being the only one known nationally, though she ended her campaign in March .

For U.S. Senate, Gov. Jim Justice is facing off against U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney (2nd District) and five other lesser-known opponents.

In the race for the nomination for Mooney’s current seat in Congress, State Treasurer Riley Moore is facing two other candidates from the Eastern Panhandle, Nate Cain and Chris “Mookie” Walker , along with Joe Earley , of Bridgeport, and Alex Gaaserud , from Parkersburg.

On the state ticket, the hotly-contested race for governor features Attorney General Patrick Morrisey , Secretary of State Mac Warner , former state delegate Moore Capito , Huntington businessman Chris Miller , Kevin Christian , an engineer from Calhoun County, and Mitch Roberts , an equipment rental store manager from Putnam County.

Secretary of state is a four-horse race among former state GOP chairman Kris Warner , Doug Skaff , who served in the state House of Delegates as a Democrat , longtime Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood and former Morgan County Commissioner Ken Reed .

In the auditor’s race, it’s House of Delegates member Eric Householder , Jefferson County Commissioner Tricia Jackson , former House of Delegates member Caleb Hanna and State Senator Mark Hunt .

Incumbent Commissioner of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt is challenged by Joshua Higginbotham and Roy Ramey .

In the race for state Attorney General, current State Treasurer J.B. McCuskey and State Senator Mike Stuart are facing off.

In the 69th House of Delegates district (shared by parts of Harrison and Lewis counties), incumbent Keith Marple and former delegate Danny Hamrick are facing off.

On the county ticket, in the county commissioner race, incumbent Patsy Trecost is challenged by former commissioner Ron Watson . Both men have formerly run as Democrats.

The other big race is for who will replace two-term Sheriff Robert Matheny. There are six candidates: Anmoore Police Chief Don Quinn, retired Harrison County sheriff’s deputy Dixon Pruitt , former chief deputy Steve Johnson , Shinnston Police Chief Jon Harbert , long-time municipal police officer Chris Minor and Stonewood Police Chief, and son of the current sheriff, Robert Matheny II .

Non-Partisan Ballot (all voters participate, and May results are final):

On the state ticket, voters will be deciding between two Charleston residents, Mychal Schulz and Ryan White , and Elgine McArdle , of Wheeling, for Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge.

Closer to home, in the 19th Judicial Circuit, the seats of two long-time judges, who are retiring, Thomas Bedell and James Matish are up for grabs. For the division two seat, former Harrison County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Shaffer , Clarksburg attorney Zach Dyer and former Clarksburg Mayor Ryan Kennedy are facing off. In the division three race, it’s Clarksburg lawyer Andy McMunn and Bridgeport lawyer Jenna Robey competing for the seat.

In the magistrate division two race, incumbent Mike Weiss is challenged by former Bridgeport and Clarksburg Police Chief John Walker. In 2022, Weiss was publicly admonished by the Judicial Investigation Commission of West Virginia for an incident involving teenagers in his neighborhood. Also in 2022, Walker was fired by the City of Bridgeport , with no public explanation given.

On the county ticket, there are two open seats on the board of education, with incumbent Doug Hogue and newcomers Tobey Knight , Jo Plybon , Bill Boyles , Jenny Santilli and Stanley Heflin vying for them.

The race for Conservation District Supervisor is also contested between incumbent Bill Coffindaffer, of Jane Lew, and Virginia Rockwell, of Shinnston.

Clarksburg voters will be electing three people to the City Council. Seven candidates are running for those three seats: Incumbents Martin Howe, Hattie Wright and Marc Jackson , along with Ryan Deems , Andrew Banko and Marcus Rutter .

Voter Resources:

You can find sample ballots on the West Virginia Secretary of State’s website or by looking up your specific ballot with this tool .

You can find your polling place here .

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