FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – Judge Sam Fox has won the Fayette County Circuit Court election outright, avoiding a runoff.
According to preliminary results, Fox cleared the thirty percent threshold needed to win the seat in the May primary. He defeated Evan Dove, Brandon Gray, Larry Harrah and Ray “Wes” Toney in the five-way race.
Fox will serve his first full eight-year term on the bench in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit.
Governor Patrick Morrisey appointed Fox to the seat in November 2025 to fill the vacancy left by Tom Ewing, who was appointed to the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Fox was sworn in last December.
Fox practiced law for 36 years before taking the bench. He earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College and his law degree from West Virginia University College of Law.
“I think you’ve got to be fair and impartial,” Fox said in an interview before the election. “Obviously, you’ve got to have the right judicial temperament. You’ve got to have experience. All of those things go into becoming a good judge.”
