TEAYS VALLEY — Sen. Eric Tarr won the Republican primary Tuesday for West Virginia’s 4th Senatorial District, defeating challengers Phillip Surface and Travis Willard in a competitive four-county contest.
Tarr secured the nomination with 3,430 votes, or 38.8%, while Surface received 2,642 votes, or 29.9%, and Willard finished with 2,780 votes, or 31.4%.
The race was closely contested across Jackson, Cabell, Mason and Putnam counties, with each candidate carrying at least one county. Tarr ultimately prevailed by building consistent support across the district and carrying two counties, including vote-rich Putnam County.
County-by-county results were as follows:
• Jackson County: Tarr 842 votes (45.1%); Surface 612 votes (32.8%); Willard 411 votes (22.0%) — all 21 precincts reporting.
• Cabell County: Tarr 494 votes (39.7%); Willard 444 votes (35.7%); Surface 305 votes (24.5%) — all 12 precincts reporting.
• Mason County: Willard 730 votes (38.2%); Tarr 693 votes (36.2%); Surface 489 votes (25.6%) — all 30 precincts reporting.
• Putnam County: Tarr 1,401 votes (36.5%); Surface 1,236 votes (32.3%); Willard 1,195 votes (31.2%) — all 31 precincts reporting.
Tarr’s strongest performance came in Jackson County, where he earned 45.1% of the vote, while his largest raw vote total came in Putnam County. Surface performed best in Putnam County, where he received 1,236 votes and 32.3% of the vote. Willard’s strongest county was Mason County, where he carried the county with 38.2%.
Overall, Tarr won the Republican nomination with 3,430 votes (38.8%), followed by Willard with 2,780 votes (31.4%) and Surface with 2,642 votes (29.9%).
