PARKERSBURG — Incumbent Sen. Mike Azinger secured the Republican nomination for District 3 on Tuesday, defeating Del. Bob Fehrenbacher in a race that highlighted divisions within the state Republican Party over legislative priorities and the direction of the GOP supermajority.
Azinger won the four-county district with 5,811 votes, or 61.1%, while Fehrenbacher received 3,698 votes, or 38.9%.
Azinger had his strongest performance in Ritchie County, where he received 745 votes to Fehrenbacher’s 314, winning 70.3% of the vote. He also carried Wirt County with 423 votes, or 74.5%, compared to Fehrenbacher’s 145 votes, or 25.5%.
In Pleasants County, Azinger earned 417 votes, or 73.3%, while Fehrenbacher received 152 votes, or 26.7%.
Wood County produced the largest raw vote totals in the district. Azinger carried the county with 4,226 votes, or 57.8%, while Fehrenbacher received 3,087 votes, or 42.2%.
Fehrenbacher’s strongest county by percentage was Wood County, where he kept the race closest and received more than 3,000 votes. His weakest showing came in Wirt County.
The primary drew attention because of the ideological split between the candidates. Azinger aligned himself with the conservative wing of the Republican Party and received the endorsement of Gov. Patrick Morrisey. Fehrenbacher campaigned heavily on economic development and criticism of the Senate’s conservative legislative priorities.
Fehrenbacher previously drew scrutiny during his first run for the House of Delegates against then-Del. Roger Conley in a Republican Primary after records showed he was registered as “unaffiliated” at the time he filed to run as a Republican candidate. The issue was not challenged by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office during that election cycle.
Azinger is completing his second term in the Senate after previously serving one term in the House of Delegates. Fehrenbacher is finishing his second term in the House.
