W. Va. — Mon County Democrats narrowed the field of candidates for the 51st House of Delegates District from six to five on Tuesday.
All four Republicans sailed through and will face the Democrats for the District’s five seats in November.
Here are Tuesday’s primary election results. Numbers are unofficial, pending canvassing.
Democrats
Incumbent Barbara Evans Fleischauer, 6,098 votes (21.54 percent); Evan Hansen, 5,623 votes (19.87 percent); Danielle Walker, 5,086 votes (17.97 percent); incumbent John Williams, 4,981 votes (17.6 percent); incumbent Rodney Pyles, 3,941 votes (13.92 percent); and not making the cut, Cory Kennedy, 2,575 votes (9.1 percent).
Fleischauer and Hansen had campaigned the hardest, in terms of spending money. Through April 22, the most recent figures available, Fleischauer had spent $27,045.18. Hansen, who also ran in 2016, missing a seat by only 37 votes, spent $8,617.07.
Incumbents Pyles and Williams spent $1,464.54 and $7,024.16, respectively.
Newcomer Walker spent $4,799.74, while Kennedy spent nothing.
Republicans
Incumbent Joe Statler, 3,156 votes (27.17 percent); incumbent Cindy Frich, 3,000 votes (25.83 percent); Debbie Warner, 2,796 votes (24.07 percent); Roger Shuttlesworth, 2,662 votes (22.92 percent).
The Republicans spent relatively little, compared to the Democrats, through April 22. Statler spent $4,701.08; Frich spent $608.58.
Shuttlesworth previously ran in 2014 and 2016. He spent $305.36. Warner spent nothing.
Reactions
Candidate turnout at county election headquarters was relatively light, but Statler and Pyles were both there monitoring the results.
After the numbers were in, Statler said, “I’m very encouraged with the numbers coming out tonight. Of course, it is a primary and there were only four running. But I see who our opponents are going to be now in the fall, and we’ll sit down and have a strategy put it place. We’re going to hit the ground running. … And we’re going to take our message out there to the people as to what we want to do.”
Pyles said, “I’m looking forward to the general election. I’d hoped to do better in the primary, but I got through it and that’s the important thing.”
Asked if he and his colleagues will campaign as a team, he said, “That’s what we want to do. We want to elect five Democrats to the House this time.”
