RENICK, WV (WOAY) – State Senate District 10 incumbent Vince Deeds has survived a Republican primary election challenge from Lewisburg pastor Jonathan Comer.
According to the Associated Press, Deeds will advance to the general election against Kent Gilkerson, who won the Democratic primary unopposed.
Deeds’s victory is a rebuke of Governor Patrick Morrisey’s attempt to push legislators who he felt were not conservative enough out of the legislature. Morrisey endorsed Jonathan Comer roughly a month before the election.
“A group of status quo, liberal legislators have opposed our conservative, pro-Trump policies every step of the way,” Morrisey’s post endorsing Comer reads. “We must educate the public about the current composition of the Senate and the House and elect more change agents to public office — officials who want to put West Virginia first and who want our state to reach her potential. Many elected legislators claim to be Republicans, but in practice are RINOs— Republicans in name only.”
Senator Shelley Moore Capito endorsed Deeds shortly after the governor made his endorsement. Capito made it clear that she supported Deeds and his record in the state senate.
“[Vince Deeds is] a fantastic state senator,” she said. “We gotta get Vince back in the state senate. He does great work for our state, he does great work for his community, and we’ve worked on a couple things together locally. I want to see us all send Vince back to the state senate.”
