CHARLESTON — Sen. Tom Takubo won the Republican primary for West Virginia’s 17th Senate District on Tuesday, defeating challenger Chris Pritt in a race shaped in part by intraparty tensions following a prior Senate leadership contest involving Senate President Randy Smith and Takubo.
Takubo secured the nomination in Kanawha County, the district’s only county, with 3,858 votes (56.1%), while Pritt received 3,019 votes (43.9%) with 97 of 97 precincts reporting.
Smith-aligned groups spent $187,399.07 in an effort to defeat Takubo, but he maintained a consistent advantage throughout the race and ultimately prevailed. The result closely mirrored Mountaineer Journal’s March poll, which showed Takubo leading Pritt 56% to 44% with a margin of error of +/- 4.22%.
Overall, Takubo secured the Republican nomination by a 10.2-point margin.
