# 2008 West Virginia gubernatorial election

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vte :
The 2008 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Governor Joe Manchin was the Democratic nominee, challenged by Republican nominee Russ Weeks and Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson. Manchin won every county in the state and was reelected by the largest margin for any gubernatorial candidate in West Virginia's history. Manchin won by over 44%, even as Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, lost the state to John McCain in the concurrent presidential election. As of 2025, this is the last time that Doddridge County has voted for a Democratic candidate for statewide office.

## Party primaries
### Democratic Party

* Mel Kessler, State Delegate
* Joe Manchin, incumbent Governor of West Virginia
Democratic primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Joe Manchin (incumbent) | 264,775 | 74.62 |
| | Democratic | Mel Kessler | 90,074 | 25.38 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 354,849 | 100.00 |

### Republican Party

* Russ Weeks, former State Senator
Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Russ Weeks | 81,019 | 100.00 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 81,019 | 100.00 |

## General election
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Safe D | October 16, 2008 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Safe D | November 2, 2008 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe D | November 3, 2008 |
| Real Clear Politics | Safe D | November 4, 2008 |

### Polling

| Poll Source | Dates administered | Joe Manchin (D) | Russ Weeks (R) |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 20, 2008 | 71% | 21% |
| Public Policy Polling | October 30, 2008 | 69% | 27% |

### Results

West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2008 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Joe Manchin (incumbent) | 492,697 | 69.81% | +6.30% |
| | Republican | Russ Weeks | 181,612 | 25.73% | −8.27% |
| | Mountain | Jesse Johnson | 31,486 | 4.46% | +1.99% |
| Margin of victory | Margin of victory | Margin of victory | 311,085 | 44.08% | +14.57% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 705,795 | 100% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | | |

#### Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Berkeley (largest municipality: Martinsburg)
* Doddridge (largest municipality: West Union)
* Grant (largest municipality: Petersburg)