| Election Name: | 2016 West Virginia Senate election |
| Country: | West Virginia |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2014 West Virginia Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 2014 |
| Next Election: | 2018 West Virginia Senate election |
| Next Year: | 2018 |
| Seats For Election: | 18 of the 34 seats in the West Virginia Senate |
| Majority Seats: | 18 |
| Election Date: | November 8, 2016 |
| Image1: | Bill Cole.jpg |
| Leader1: | Bill Cole (retired) |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Leaders Seat1: | 6th district |
| Seats Before1: | 18 |
| Seats1: | 22 |
| Seat Change1: | 4 |
| Popular Vote1: | 379,414 |
| Percentage1: | 52.3% |
| Leader2: | Jeff Kessler (retired) |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Leaders Seat2: | 2nd district |
| Seats Before2: | 16 |
| Seats2: | 12 |
| Seat Change2: | 4 |
| Popular Vote2: | 345,598 |
| Percentage2: | 47.7% |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Senate President | |
| Before Election: | Bill Cole |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Mitch Carmichael |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| 1Blank: | Seats up |
| 1Data2: | 10 |
| 1Data1: | 8 |
| 2Blank: | Races won |
| 2Data2: | 6 |
| 2Data1: | 12 |
The 2016 West Virginia Senate elections were held on November 8, 2016, as part of the biennial United States elections. Seventeen of West Virginia's 34 state senators were up for regular selection, along with an unexpired term for another seat. West Virginia Senate districts each have two elected representatives. State senators serve staggered four-year terms in West Virginia, with one senator from each district up in even-numbered years corresponding to presidential election years (such as 2016), and the other up in even-numbered years corresponding to presidential midterm years.
Primary elections in the state were held on May 10. After the previous 2014 state elections, Republicans held a slim majority in the Senate, holding 18 seats to the Democrats' 16. The Republican Party had long been the minority party in West Virginia, but the decline of the strength of coal worker unions, the Democratic Party's increasing focus on environmentalism, the unpopularity of President Barack Obama, and the increasing social conservatism of the Republican Party have helped the GOP solidify power in the state rapidly since 2000.
The high popularity of candidate Donald Trump within the state and his 42-point margin of victory, helped the Republicans gain four seats. This can be attributed to the increasing association of the West Virginia Democratic Party with the national Democratic Party, and a strong year for the Republican Party nationally, in which they gained control of the presidency, and kept control of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Donald Trump won West Virginia with 68.5% of the vote, his largest share of the vote in any state. Trump's performance helped Republican Senate candidates down-ballot, as he won every senate district in the state.[1]
Following the state's 2016 Senate elections, Republicans maintained and increased their control of the Senate with 22 seats to the Democrats' 12.
Four incumbents did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents are:
Two incumbents were defeated in the May 10 primaries. Senator Bob Ashley was appointed to the 3rd Senate District and was the incumbent for the remainder of the unexpired term. However, Ashley chose to challenge fellow incumbent senator Donna Boley for a full term.
All results are certified by the Secretary of State of West Virginia.
| Party | Votes | Seats | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Total before | Up | Won | Total after | ± | |||||
| Republican Party | 379,414 | 51.83 | 18 | 8 | 12 | data-sort-value="" | 4 | ||||
| Democratic Party | 345,598 | 47.21 | 16 | 10 | 6 | data-sort-value="" | 4 | ||||
| Libertarian Party | 5,619 | 0.77 | 0 | 0 | 0 | data-sort-value="" | |||||
| Mountain Party | 1,404 | 0.19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | data-sort-value="" | |||||
| District | Winner | Margin | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 12 | data-sort-value=1 | Democratic | 0.3% | |
| District 4 | data-sort-value=1 | Republican | 2.1% | |
| District 1 | data-sort-value=1 | Republican (flip) | 2.1% | |
| District 11 | data-sort-value=1 | Republican | 2.1% | |
| District 9 | data-sort-value=1 | Republican | 3.6% | |
| District 16 | data-sort-value=1 | Republican (flip) | 5.6% | |
| District 8 | data-sort-value=1 | Democratic (flip) | 6.2% | |
| District 3(Special) | data-sort-value="1" | Republican | 9.3% | |
| District 10 | data-sort-value="1" | Republican (flip) | 9.5% |
| District | Incumbent | Elected Senator | Result | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Member | Party | ||||||
| District 1 | Democratic | 2008 | Republican | data-sort-value="1" | Republican Gain | |||||
| District 2 | Democratic | 1997 (appointed) | Republican | data-sort-value="1" | Republican Gain | |||||
| District 3 | Republican | 1985 (appointed) | Republican | data-sort-value="2" | Republican Hold | |||||
| District 3 (sp.) | Republican | 2015 (appointed) | Republican | data-sort-value="2" | Republican Hold | |||||
| District 4 | Republican | 2012 | Republican | data-sort-value="2" | Republican Hold | |||||
| District 5 | Democratic | 1992 | Democratic | data-sort-value="3" | Democratic Hold | |||||
| District 6 | Republican | 2012 | Republican | data-sort-value="2" | Republican Hold | |||||
| District 7 | Democratic | 2011 (appointed) | Democratic | data-sort-value="3" | Democratic Hold | |||||
| District 8 | Republican | 2012 | Democratic | data-sort-value="4" | Democratic Gain | |||||
| District 9 | Republican | 2016 (appointed) | Republican | data-sort-value="2" | Republican Hold | |||||
| District 10 | Democratic | 2008 | Republican | data-sort-value="1" | Republican Gain | |||||
| District 11 | Republican | 2015 (appointed) | Republican | data-sort-value="2" | Republican Hold | |||||
| District 12 | Democratic | 2008 | Democratic | data-sort-value="3" | Democratic Hold | |||||
| District 13 | Democratic | 1996 | Democratic | data-sort-value="3" | Democratic Hold | |||||
| District 14 | Democratic | 2008 | Republican | data-sort-value="1" | Republican Gain | |||||
| District 15 | Republican | 2012 | Republican | data-sort-value="2" | Republican Hold | |||||
| District 16 | Democratic | 2008 | Republican | data-sort-value="1" | Republican Gain | |||||
| District 17 | Democratic | 2008 | Democratic | data-sort-value="3" | Democratic Hold | |||||
| align=center | District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 |
All results are certified by the Secretary of State of West Virginia.[3]
In 2016, both seats were up for election due to an unusual series of events. Republican Bob Ashley, who had been appointed to the Senate following the departure of David Nohe in 2015, chose to run in a primary against his fellow senator Donna Boley, leaving his own seat open and triggering a special election.[4]