The 2024 Primary Election is history. The USPS has ceased to deliver daily loads of political mailings. Political commercials have disappeared from radio and TV. The votes have been counted and the winners determined.

In Putnam County races, most winners were known before a single vote was counted because few candidates faced opposition. That was not the case for national and statewide races. Putnam’s vote helped the victory margin of some statewide winners and reduced the margin for others.

Putnam Republican ticket voters were out of sync with their statewide counterparts in the races for Governor, Secretary of State, and Commissioner of Agriculture. In the Secretary of State race, Brian Wood (Putnam County Clerk) was expected to win Putnam’s vote.

In the highly contested race for Republican candidacy for Governor, Putnam voted Moore Capito over Patrick Morrisey by 29.5% to 22.4%. Morrisey was selected over Capito statewide by 33.3% to 27.6%.

In federal races, county voters were slightly less inclined to endorse Trump than were voters statewide. Putnam Republican voters gave Trump 86.4%. Statewide, Trump received 88.4% of the vote. Putnam Democrats gave Biden 77.0%. The President received 70.6% support statewide.

Democratic Party candidates for state office were in short supply. The only contested race was candidacy for Attorney General. The winner of the two-candidate race was Teresa Toriseva with 52.7% statewide and 34.8% in Putnam.

Republican candidacy for House of Delegates in Districts 19 and 20 was contested. In District 19, incumbent Kathie Hess Crouse defeated challenger Debbie Deweese by 53.2% to 46.8%. District 20 winner was Sarah Drennan with a 53.0 to 47.0% margin over Jacob Losh.

In the non-partisan race for Circuit Judge Division 1, incumbent Phillip Stowers defeated Jon Hoover by a 7,888 to 3,328 vote margin. The Magistrate Division 3 race saw Sarah Weaver defeat Eric Whitney and Larry Wingo with 34.7% of the total vote. The winners to 4-year terms on the Board of Education were Chuck Hatfield and Christian Wells.

Putnam voters approved a Special Fire and Rescue Levy which will replace the current fire fee by 8,274 to 4,055. The Special School Board Levy was approved by a 7,090 to 4,399 margin.

Republican Contests
President
Trump – 7,843; Haley – 1,040; Stuckenberg – 73; Swift – 65; Binkley – 59
U. S. Senator
Justice – 5,829; Mooney – 2,372; Bird – 288; Lawhorn – 145; McNulty – 145; McKinney – 145; Linsay – 104
House of Representatives
Miller – 5,569; Evans – 3,035
Governor
Capito – 2,733; Miller – 2,704; Morrisey – 2,069; Warner – 1,359; Roberts – 350; Christian – 42
Secretary of State
Wood – 6,513; Warner – 1,207; Skaff – 1,162; Reed – 124
Auditor
Hunt – 5,009; Hanna – 1,746; Householder – 940; Jackson – 512
Treasurer
Pack – 6,923
Commissioner of Agriculture
Higginbotham – 2,981; Leonhardt – 2,735; Ramey – 2,267
Attorney General
McCuskey – 5,170; Stuart – 3,098
State Senate, 4th District
Grady – 5,344
State Senate 8th District
Jeffries – 2,050
House of Delegates, 18th
Butler – 155
House of Delegates, 19th
Crouse – 1,396; Deweese – 1,227
House of Delegates, 20th
Drennan – 1,723; Losh – 1,528
House of Delegates, 21st
Cannon – 2,273
County Commission
Skidmore – 7,005
Prosecuting Attorney
Raynes – 7,048
Sheriff
Eggleton – 7,399
Assessor
Warner – 7,097
Democratic Contests
President
Biden – 2,019; Lyons – 189; Palmer – 185; Phillips – 184; Perez-Serrato – 46
U. S. Senator
Elliott – 1,124; Shewsbury – 1,116; Blankenship – 412
House of Representatives
Reed – 1,610; Umberger – 882
Governor
Williams – 2,544
Secretary of State
Cooper – 2,217
Auditor
Claytor – 2,291
Commissioner of Agriculture
Stiles – 2,242
Attorney General
Robb – 1,718; Toriseva – 915
State Senate, 4th District
Russell – 1,498
House of Delegates, 18th
Meadows – 35
House of Delegates, 20th
Patrick – 821
House of Delegates, 21st
Mosteller – 755
Mountain Contests
President
Stein – 7
Governor
Linko-Looper – 9
Non-Partisan Contests
Supreme Court Division 1
Bunn – 8,905
Supreme Court Division 2
Trump – 8,259
Court of Appeals Division 1
White – 6,912; Schultz – 2,019; McArdle – 951
Circuit Court Division 1
Stowers – 7,888; Hoover – 3,328
Circuit Court Division 2
Reeder – 9,638
Family Court Judge
Witt – 9,512
Magistrate Division 1
Hunt – 9,654
Magistrate Division 2
Luikart – 9,376
Magistrate Division 3
Weaver – 3,716; Whitney – 3,531; Wingo – 3,466
Board of Education (2 elected)
Hatfield – 5,216; Wells – 4,565; Sowards – 3,732; Fertig – 3,616
Conservation Supervisor
Wolpert – 8,959
Fire Levy
For – 8,274; Against – 4,055
School Levy
For – 7,090; Against – 4,399
Nitro City Levy
For – 97; Against – 47