CHARLESTON — With all counties accounted for, Sam Brown Petsonk will be the Democratic candidate for the attorney general race in November, having a 145-vote lead against Isaac Sponaugle.
“I’m sincerely grateful for my beloved family, friends, and the hundreds of volunteers and supporters across the state who have made this campaign what it is," Petsonk said in a June 18 statement. "Thank you for your trust and your many good graces."
Petsonk said his campaign is about protecting what West Virginians have earned and defending basic rights.
"That means protecting healthcare, hospitals, clinics, and high-quality insurance for our people," Petsonk said. "We must provide real compensation and support for the thousands of workers who have lost their jobs, wages, and healthcare. We must reverse the massive decline in the number of consumer protection settlements coming out of the Attorney General's office."
Petsonk said current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has dropped the ball on educating the public and promoting the rights of working families.
"West Virginians deserve an Attorney General who has proven that he can deliver these results and secure justice for all of us," Petsonk said. "Not a political show horse. Not an ideologue who has fought to take healthcare away from hundreds of thousands of us, especially during these trying times when West Virginians are so worried about staying safe and healthy during the pandemic."
Sponaugle said Harrison County reported its results late Thursday night.
“I am down 145 votes, after Harrison County reported late last night, out of 173,553 votes cast for Attorney General statewide,” Sponaugle said. “I won 36 of the 55 counties. After election night, I had a 917-vote lead before canvassing. An error by poll workers in the counting of votes in Mineral County cost me around 500 votes of that 917-vote lead on Monday.”
Sponaugle said it became a horse race after that, which ended last night.
“It is probably the closet statewide election in West Virginia history,” Sponaugle said.
Sponaugle said he has until Tuesday at 10 p.m. to request a recount.
“West Virginia does not have a state law for an automatic recount in a statewide election if it decided by less than 1% like many states,” Sponaugle said. “Probably because this election is a first for that close of a statewide election— 50.04% to 49.96%.”
Sponaugle said he must decide if he wants to request a recount and in what counties to do it, because it is not economically workable to request a recount in all 55 counties as the candidate must pay for it and post a bond in each individual county.
“If I decide to request a recount of the votes, then I will have to select which counties where it is to occur,” Sponaugle said. “Every vote counts. Every vote should be counted accurately.”
Sponaugle said there were at least 150 human errors in the counting of the results, which would change the outcome of the election.
“The issue becomes where they occurred and if I can locate them on a recount,” Sponaugle said. “I will take the weekend to review the results and determine if I want to request a recount or concede the election.”
Sponaugle said he would announce his decision on Tuesday.
On election night, MetroNews reported that Sponaugle came out ahead with 84,289 votes to Petsonk's 83,583. That number has continued to change as absentee ballots rolled in and counties certified race results.
