The 2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 4. Incumbent senator Jay Rockefeller won re-election to a fifth term in a landslide, defeating RepublicanJay Wolfe who had returned from the 2002 Senate election by a 27-point margin. Despite this overwhelming win, this remains the last time that a Democrat has won West Virginia's Class 2 U.S. Senate seat. In both of the two subsequent elections for the seat, Republicans have swept every single county.
The Republicans had gained seven net seats in both the West Virginia Senate and the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2000 to 2008. However, the Democrats still held 60% of the seats in the Senate and 68% of the seats in the House.
Along with continued majorities in the legislature, Democrats had also had other recent victories. Even though both Bush and Capito won their respective offices in 2000, Senator Byrd sailed to an eighth term with 78% of the vote over Republican David Gallaher. Senator John D. Rockefeller IV easily won a fourth term to the Senate in 2002 by a margin of 63–37 over Republican former state senator Jay Wolfe. In 2000, 2002, and 2004, both Representative Mollohan and Representative Rahall were re-elected by much stronger margins than Capito. In 2004, Republican Monty Warner failed to defeat Democratic West Virginia Secretary of StateJoe Manchin for governor.
After the Republicans failed to win the governor's race, West Virginia Republican Committee Chairman Kris Warner, the brother of Monty, was put under pressure to resign his post; he did so in May 2005 [1]. Wheeling attorney Rob Capehart took his place. (Dr. Doug McKinney of Bridgeport now holds the post.) Another brother of Monty, Kasey, who was appointed by President Bush in 2001, was removed as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia on August 1, 2005. No explanation has been given for his departure and U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston currently represents the district.
.jpg)
