2020 West Virginia Democratic presidential primary
The 2020 West Virginia Democratic presidential primary was held on June 9, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though it was originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 12, 2020.[1] Had it been held on its scheduled date, it would've been one of two contests on that date in the Democratic Party presidential primaries for the 2020 presidential election. The West Virginia primary is a semi-closed primary, with the state awarding 34 delegates, of which 28 are pledged delegates allocated on the basis of the results of the primary.
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34 Democratic National Convention delegates (28 pledged, 6 unpledged) The number of pledged delegates won is determined by the popular vote | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Election results by county
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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The Associated Press declared that Joe Biden won the West Virginia Democratic presidential primary.[2] Biden swept the state, winning all 55 counties, a stark reversal from 2016 when Bernie Sanders won all 55 counties, although Sanders had suspended his campaign prior to the state's primary.
Procedure
West Virginia was the only state voting on June 9, 2020, in the Democratic primaries.[3] Voting took place throughout the state from 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m.
In the semi-closed primary, candidates must meet a threshold of 15 percent at the congressional district or statewide level in order to be considered viable. The 28 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention were allocated proportionally on the basis of the results of the primary. Of the 28 pledged delegates, between 5 and 6 were allocated to each of the state's 3 congressional districts and another 3 were allocated to party leaders and elected officials (PLEO delegates), in addition to 5 at-large pledged delegates. These delegate totals do not account for pledged delegate bonuses or penalties from timing or clustering.[4]
On Friday, June 12, 2020, national convention district-level delegates were nominated in district caucuses during the state convention. The state executive committee, meeting the following day, voted on the 5 pledged at-large and 3 PLEO delegates to send to the Democratic National Convention. The 28 pledged delegates West Virginia sent to the national convention were joined by 6 unpledged PLEO delegates (5 members of the Democratic National Committee and one Senator).[4]
Results
| Candidate | Votes | % | Delegates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden | 122,518 | 65.35% | 28 |
| Bernie Sanders (suspended) | 22,793 | 12.16% | |
| David Lee Rice | 15,470 | 8.25% | |
| Elizabeth Warren (withdrawn) | 5,741 | 3.06% | |
| Tulsi Gabbard (withdrawn) | 4,163 | 2.22% | |
| Michael Bloomberg (withdrawn) | 3,759 | 2.01% | |
| Pete Buttigieg (withdrawn) | 3,455 | 1.84% | |
| Amy Klobuchar (withdrawn) | 3,011 | 1.61% | |
| Andrew Yang (withdrawn) | 2,590 | 1.38% | |
| Michael Bennet (withdrawn) | 1,865 | 0.99% | |
| Tom Steyer (withdrawn) | 1,235 | 0.66% | |
| Deval Patrick (withdrawn) | 882 | 0.47% | |
| Total | 187,482[6] | 100% | 28 |
References
- Lacie Pierson (April 1, 2020). "Gov. Justice delays WV primary election until June 9". Charleston Gazette-Mail. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- "West Virginia State Primary Election Results 2020". New York Times. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
- Putnam, Josh. "The 2020 Presidential Primary Calendar". Frontloading HQ. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
- "West Virginia Democratic Delegation 2020". The Green Papers. June 2, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- "Results – Democratic Contests". results.enr.clarityelections.com/. West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
- https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/WV/103231/web.247524/#/summary?category=C_2