# 1976 West Virginia gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 1976 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1976, to elect the governor of West Virginia. Democrat Jay Rockefeller, the nephew of the then current Vice President of the United States, Nelson Rockefeller, defeated Republican Cecil Underwood.

## Results
### Democratic primary

West Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 206,732 | 49.68 |
| | Democratic | James Marshall Sprouse | 118,707 | 28.52 |
| | Democratic | Ken Hechler | 52,791 | 12.69 |
| | Democratic | John G. Hutchinson | 26,222 | 6.30 |
| | Democratic | Ezra H. Graley | 4,249 | 1.02 |
| | Democratic | Powell Lane | 3,536 | 0.85 |
| | Democratic | H. John Rogers | 2,345 | 0.56 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 414,582 | 100 |

### Republican primary

West Virginia Republican gubernatorial primary, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Cecil H. Underwood | 97,671 | 64.36 |
| | Republican | Ralph Albertazzie | 44,393 | 29.25 |
| | Republican | Melton Maloney | 3,408 | 2.25 |
| | Republican | Larry Lunsford | 2,593 | 1.71 |
| | Republican | John Lusher | 2,442 | 1.61 |
| | Republican | E. E. Cumptan | 1,257 | 0.83 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 151,764 | 100 |

### General election

West Virginia gubernatorial election, 1976 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jay Rockefeller | 495,661 | 66.15 |
| | Republican | Cecil H. Underwood | 253,420 | 33.82 |
| | Other | Write-ins | 189 | 0.03 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 749,270 | 100 |
| | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican | Democratic gain from Republican |