Azinger, Barnhart win GOP Senate primaries; Sandy, Foggin, Butcher take House nominations
Sandy, Foggin, Butcher take House nominations
PARKERSBURG – Incumbents in the two District 3 Senate seats won their primaries by wide margins Tuesday, but races in two House of Delegates districts were a lot closer.
Sen. Tom Azinger, R-Wood, fended off a primary challenge from Del. Bob Fehrenbacher, R-Wood, tallying 5,811 votes across Wood, Wirt, Pleasants and Ritchie counties to Fehrenbacher’s 3,698. Azinger got a majority of the votes in each county.
“I’d heard a good poll, but I wasn’t certain I was going to win by any stretch,” Azinger said Wednesday. “It’s fairly stressful, to say the least, until you hear some numbers.”
Azinger moves on to the general election, seeking a third four-year term after being elected to fill an unexpired term in 2016. He will face Parkersburg resident Caci Petrehn, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The other District 3 seat was on the ballot due to the retirement earlier this year of Sen. Donna Boley, R-Pleasants. Gov. Patrick Morrisey appointed then-Del. Trenton Barnhart, R-Pleasants, to the seat and he filed to run for the unexpired term.
Barnhart defeated former Del. Jason Harshbarger 5,453-3,530 on Tuesday, though Harshbarger had a slight edge in Ritchie County, where he resides.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to represent this area in the Senate, and I look forward to continuing my work,” Barnhart said Wednesday. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to represent the people in the area I grew up in.
Barnhart said Boley left “big shoes to fill” but he was blessed to be in the position and represent “the best part of the state.” He said he wanted to thank the Lord and his family for supporting him during the process and added that he would work hard to protect conservative values.
No Democrat filed to run for the unexpired term.
Fehrenbacher’s Senate candidacy means there will be a new occupant in the House of Delegates District 11 seat.
The Republican nominee looks to be former state Homeland Security Secretary Jeff Sandy, who led Parkersburg City Council President Andrew Borkowski 831-792, according to final, unofficial results released by the Wood County Clerk’s Office.
There are approximately 86 provisional ballots countywide. It was not clear if there were enough in District 11 to potentially affect the outcome.
Sandy, a former Wood County sheriff, said he is looking ahead to the fall election after what he described as a race focused on issues rather than negativity.
“I think our election was the only one that was very to the point and professional,” Sandy said.
Borkowski said he called Sandy to congratulate him.
“Although I wish the outcome could have been different, I am grateful for a hard-fought race,” he said. “I wish Mr. Sandy nothing but the best in the general election.”
Sandy will take on Democrat Daniel Miller of Vienna in the fall.
There were Republican and Democratic primaries in House District 14, which includes southern Wood County and western Wirt County. Incumbent Del. Dave Foggin, R-Wood, had a 31-vote lead over Wirt County Republican Executive Committee Chairwoman Angie Adams, 697-666, according to the secretary of state’s office. Fellow Republican Andrew Daniel received 453 votes.
Foggin declined to comment with results still pending.
Barring any change due to provisional ballots, he appears set to take on Crystal Dawn Butcher, the winner of the Democratic primary.
Butcher received 309 votes to Jim Marion’s 275 and Jonathan White’s 86.
Butcher said she is honored by the support she received from voters in the District 14 primary and her campaign will continue to focus on community outreach.
“I am deeply honored and humbled by the trust the people of District 14 placed in me,” she said. “This campaign showed the true passion of our community. While the primary election is over, our shared work is just the beginning.”
Butcher also announced plans for a “Coffee with Crystal” initiative, which her campaign said will give residents opportunities to discuss issues including jobs, addiction recovery resources, infrastructure, education, family services, government transparency and trust in elected officials. An official in the Wirt County Clerk’s Office said Wednesday the number of provisional ballots has not been counted yet. Those will be determined and counted Monday during canvassing,she said.
Staff reporter Amber Phipps contributed to this story.
