The West Virginia primary election results are beginning to come in as both Democrats and Republicans headed to the polls Saturday in what was described as a light turnout.
The race, which takes place less than a year after former West Virginia governor Joe Manchin was elected to the U.S. Senate, saw just 4 percent of registered voters returning early ballots. West Virginia Democrats outnumbered Republicans in early ballot returns nearly 2 to 1.
West Virginia Secretary of State spokesman Jake Glance says despite one power outage issue, polls across the state opened as planned at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The election results come as an Public Policy Polling survey released early Saturday shows West Virginia governor Earl Ray Tomblin leading for the Democratic party nomination. The race for the Republican nomination took a surprise turn as former West Virginia Secretary of State Betty Ireland slipped in the poll, trailing Morgantown drilling consultant Bill Maloney for the Republican nomination.
The election, which features 8 Republican and 6 Democratic candidates, was held after the state Supreme Court ordered the election after the West Virginia Citizen Action Group filed a lawsuit. Mr. Tomblin had said he thought he could remain in office until the term formerly held by Mr. Manchin expired.
The general gubernatorial election is scheduled for Oct. 4. The winner of that race will serve about a 14-month term.
