Only two ex-governors have attempted a comeback in state history
Just as the door to elected statewide office for Democrats in West Virginia seemed to be shut and sealed, reports came out last week that there is GOP support for conservative Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin to run for governor yet this cycle.
The reports circulated following Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrissey’s recent 5.7-point primary victory with just one-third of the vote in a competitive six-candidate field.
Manchin, who served as West Virginia’s chief executive from 2005 to 2010, would not be able to secure the Democratic nomination without Huntington Mayor Steve Williams first dropping out of the race.
Williams ran unopposed in the Democratic primary – the first nominee for the party to do so across the 29 primaries conducted for the office since 1916. [Republicans held their first gubernatorial primary in 1912].
In fact, Democratic primary voters have had the choice of more than two candidates in all but five other cycles with the exception of 1920, 1980, 2000, 2008, and 2012.
Manchin would also become just the third former West Virginia governor – and first Democrat – to attempt a comeback for his old job.
Republican Cecil Underwood was the first – but it took him three attempts to return to the governorship.
Underwood served from 1957 to 1961 but was term-limited from running for reelection in 1960.
In 1964, however, he easily won the GOP nomination with an 83.0-point victory over Elkins furniture store owner (and former Democrat) Harry Cupp in a three-candidate field.
But Underwood lost the general election to former state Commerce Commissioner Hulett Smith by 9.8 points in the face of a national Democratic wave.
Four years later, Underwood was defeated in the Republican primary by Arch Moore; the two men would account for 10 of the 12 GOP nominations for the office from 1956 through 20000.
In 1976, Underwood tried again, this time winning a six-candidate primary field with nearly two-thirds of the vote before getting trounced by 33.8 points that November by Jay Rockefeller.
Twenty years later, Underwood made a fourth attempt and edged ex-NASA and U.S. Navy pilot Jon McBride by 7.8 points in the GOP primary.
Underwood defeated former state Senator Charlotte Pritt by 5.8 points in the general election and would serve four more years before losing his 2000 reelection bid to U.S. Representative Bob Wise.
Like Underwood, Republican Arch Moore also received his party’s nomination five times.
Moore served eight years (1969-1977) by defeating attorney James Sprouse (1968) and Jay Rockefeller (1972) but was term-limited in the 1976 cycle.
In 1980, Moore launched his first comeback attempt and won the GOP nomination without opposition before losing a rematch by 8.7 points against then Governor Rockefeller.
Moore attempted a second comeback in 1984 and was again unchallenged in the Republican primary en route to winning the open seat race against House of Delegates Speaker Clyde See by 6.4 points.
Moore was renominated again in 1988 but lost his bid for a fourth nonconsecutive term to insurance executive Gaston Caperton.
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