2000 West Virginia Secretary of State election
November 7, 2000
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Manchin: 80–90% >90% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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The 2000 West Virginia Secretary of State election was held on November 7, 2000, to elect the secretary of state of West Virginia. Democratic incumbent Ken Hechler chose to unsuccessfully run for Representative rather than seek a fifth term. Primaries were held on May 9, 2000. Democratic nominee West Virginia state senator Joe Manchin faced only token opposition from Libertarian candidate Poochie Myers and won the election in a blowout, winning with nearly 90% of the vote.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Joe Manchin, West Virginia state senator (1986–1996)
- Bobby Nelson, former mayor of Huntington (1986–1993)
- Mike Oliverio, West Virginia state senator (1994–2010)
- Charlotte Pritt, former West Virginia state senator (1988–1992)
Campaign
Manchin easily won the Democratic nomination, winning by over 22 percentage points against his closest opponent, Charlotte Pritt, who had previously defeated him in the 1996 Democratic primary for Governor of West Virginia.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Manchin | 141,839 | 51.08% | |
| Democratic | Charlotte Pritt | 80,148 | 28.86% | |
| Democratic | Mike Oliverio | 35,424 | 12.76% | |
| Democratic | Bobby Nelson | 20,259 | 7.30% | |
| Total votes | 277,670 | 100.0% | ||
Libertarian primary
Candidates
- Poochie Myers
Campaign
Myers won the Libertarian nomination unopposed.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libertarian | Poochie Myers | 260 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 260 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Joe Manchin, West Virginia state senator (1986–1996) (Democratic)
- Poochie Myers (Libertarian)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joe Manchin | 478,489 | 89.44% | +19.99 | |
| Libertarian | Poochie Myers | 56,477 | 10.56% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 534,966 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
References
- ^ a b "2000 SoS Pri.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved December 7, 2025.
- ^ "2000 Secretary of State General Election Results - West Virginia". Retrieved December 7, 2025.
External links
Official campaign websites (archived)