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November 2, 2004
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 Ireland: 50–60% 60–70% Hechler: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in West Virginia |
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The 2004 West Virginia secretary of state election was held on November 2, 2004, to elect the secretary of state of West Virginia. Democratic incumbent Joe Manchin chose to run for governor of West Virginia rather than seek a second term. Primaries were held on May 11, 2004. Manchin's predecessor, Democrat Ken Hechler, who had served as Secretary of State of West Virginia for 16 years prior, ran for a non-consecutive sixth term in office but was defeated by businesswoman Betty Ireland by a narrow margin of three percentage points.
With her victory, Ireland became the first woman elected to the executive branch in West Virginia.
This election, alongside the concurrent presidential election, were the only statewide victories for Republicans in West Virginia in 2004.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Donna J. Acord
- Larrie Bailey, former West Virginia State Treasurer (1990–1996), (1976–1984)
- George Daugherty, lawyer
- Ken Hechler, former secretary of state of West Virginia (1985–2001)
- Mike Oliverio, West Virginia state senator (1994–2010)
- Roger Pritt
- Natalie Tennant, TV reporter
Campaign
Hechler won the primary by a razor-thin margin of 0.43 percentage points over TV reporter and future Secretary of State of West Virginia Natalie Tennant.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ken Hechler | 67,065 | 25.74% | |
| Democratic | Natalie Tennant | 65,947 | 25.31% | |
| Democratic | Mike Oliverio | 52,720 | 20.23% | |
| Democratic | Roger Pritt | 40,823 | 15.57% | |
| Democratic | Larrie Bailey | 17,590 | 6.75% | |
| Democratic | Donna Acord | 9,296 | 3.57% | |
| Democratic | George Daugherty | 7,139 | 2.74% | |
| Total votes | 260,580 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Betty Ireland, businesswoman
Campaign
Ireland won the Republican nomination unopposed.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Betty Ireland | 91,039 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 91,039 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Betty Ireland, businesswoman (Republican)
- Ken Hechler, former secretary of state of West Virginia (1985–2001) (Democratic)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Betty Ireland | 375,024 | 51.88% | N/A | |
| Democratic | Ken Hechler | 347,780 | 48.12% | −41.32 | |
| Total votes | 722,804 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
References
- ^ a b "2004 SoS Pri.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved December 15, 2025.
- ^ "2004 Secretary of State General Election Results - West Virginia". Retrieved December 15, 2025.
External links
Official campaign websites (archived)
- Betty Ireland (R) for Secretary of State of West Virginia
- Ken Hechler (D) for Secretary of State of West Virginia
- Natalie Tennant (D) for Secretary of State of West Virginia
- Mike Oliverio (D) for Secretary of State of West Virginia
- Roger Pritt (D) for Secretary of State of West Virginia
- Larrie Bailey (D) for Secretary of State of West Virginia
