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Earl Ray Tomblin

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Earl Ray Tomblin
35th Governor of West Virginia
In office
November 13, 2011 – January 16, 2017
Acting: November 15, 2010 – November 13, 2011
LieutenantJeff Kessler
Bill Cole
Preceded byJoe Manchin
Succeeded byJim Justice
President of the West Virginia Senate
Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia[a]
In office
January 3, 1995 – November 13, 2011
GovernorGaston Caperton
Cecil Underwood
Bob Wise
Joe Manchin
Himself (acting)
Preceded byKeith Burdette
Succeeded byJeff Kessler
Member of the West Virginia Senate
from the 7th district
In office
December 1, 1980 – November 13, 2011
Preceded byNed Grubb
Succeeded byArt Kirkendoll
Personal details
Born (1952-03-15) March 15, 1952 (age 72)
Logan County, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Joanne Jaeger
​
(m. 1979)​
Children1
EducationWest Virginia University (BS)
Marshall University (MBA)
Signature

Earl Ray Tomblin (born March 15, 1952) is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of West Virginia from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the West Virginia Senate from 1980 to 2011 and as president of the West Virginia Senate from 1995 to 2011. Tomblin became acting governor in November 2010 following Joe Manchin's election to the U.S. Senate. He won a special election in October 2011 to fill the unexpired term ending on January 14, 2013, and was elected to a full term as governor in November 2012.

Early life and education

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Tomblin was born in Logan County, West Virginia, and is the son of Freda M. (née Jarrell) and Earl Tomblin. His mother was 18 years old when he was born.[1] He has a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and then went along to receive a Master of Business Administration degree from Marshall University.[2]

State Legislature and Senate President

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Tomblin was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1974, and reelected in 1976 and 1978. He won election to the Senate for the 7th district in 1980 and was subsequently re-elected every four years until his election as governor.

Tomblin was elected on January 3, 1995, as the 48th President of the West Virginia Senate. Having served in the position for almost seventeen years, he is the longest serving Senate President in West Virginia's history. Tomblin became the first Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia upon creation of the honorary designation in 2000.

As a senator, he represented the 7th Senate District encompassing Boone, Lincoln, Logan, and Wayne counties.[3]

Acting governor

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Tomblin became acting governor when Joe Manchin resigned after being elected to fill the United States Senate seat of the late Senator Robert Byrd. Tomblin is the first person to serve as acting governor under West Virginia's current constitution.

While acting governor, Tomblin also retained the title of Senate President, per the state constitution.[4] However, he did not participate in legislative business or preside over the Senate while acting governor.

Governor of West Virginia

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Elections

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2011 special

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Main article: 2011 West Virginia gubernatorial special election

Under the West Virginia constitution, when the governorship becomes vacant with more than one year remaining in the term, a special election must be held for the remainder of the term. In Manchin's case, he left office two years into his second term. Tomblin stated his desire to run for the remainder of the term. Following a ruling by the Supreme Court of Appeals on January 18, 2011, a special gubernatorial election was scheduled for October 4, 2011.[5][6] Tomblin was successful in the Democratic primary, beating a field of six contenders, while Morgantown businessman Bill Maloney emerged as the Republican nominee in the May 14 primary. Tomblin went on to win the general election against Maloney and was sworn in as governor on November 13, 2011.[7] Immediately before being sworn in as governor, Tomblin resigned from the state senate.[8]

2012

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Main article: 2012 West Virginia gubernatorial election

Tomblin ran for election to a full term in 2012, and defeated Maloney in a rematch.

Tenure

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In the 2016 presidential election, Tomblin endorsed fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton.[9]

Abortion

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Tomblin is anti-abortion.[10][11] Despite this, in March 2014, Tomblin vetoed a bill that would have banned abortions in West Virginia after 20 weeks, which he said was due to constitutionality issues.[10] In March 2015, Tomblin again vetoed the bill; however, his veto was overridden by the West Virginia legislature.[11][12]

Approval ratings

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A May 2013 survey by Republican strategist Mark Blankenship showed Tomblin's job approval rating to be at 69 percent, unchanged from two months earlier.[13] According to a poll conducted by Public Policy Polling in September 2013, Tomblin had an approval rating of 47 percent with 35 percent disapproving, up from 44 percent in 2011.[14]

Term limit

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Tomblin was barred from running for a second full term in 2016. Under the constitution, a partial term counts toward the limit of two consecutive terms.

Personal life

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Tomblin was married on September 8, 1979, to Joanne Jaeger, a native New Yorker and graduate of Marshall University, who served as the president of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College from 1999 to 2015.[15][16] They reside in Chapmanville and have one son, Brent. Tomblin attends the First Presbyterian Church of Logan.

Electoral history

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West Virginia House of Delegates District 16 Election, 1974
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Mathis 7,139 25.24
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin 7,086 25.06
Democratic Sammy Dalton 7,061 24.97
Democratic Charles Gilliam 6,993 24.73
West Virginia House of Delegates District 16 Democratic Primary Election, 1976
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 8,545 14.88
Democratic Denver Mathis (inc.) 7,641 13.31
Democratic Sammy Dalton (inc.) 6,745 11.75
Democratic Charles Gilliam (inc.) 6,523 11.36
Democratic William Calyton 4,331 7.54
Democratic Mike Hill 4,144 7.22
Democratic Jimmy Vance 3,274 5.70
Democratic Cris Farley 3,246 5.65
Democratic John Mendez 3,169 5.52
Democratic Sim Howze Jr. 2,197 3.83
Democratic Florena Colvin 1,618 2.82
Democratic Dollie Mae Hill 1,556 2.71
Democratic Homer Vaughan 1,535 2.67
Democratic Charles Jesse Dillon 1,261 2.20
Democratic Robert Marcum Jr. 844 1.47
Democratic Greg Anderson Adams 783 1.36
West Virginia House of Delegates District 16 Election, 1976
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Thomas Mathis (inc.) 17,872 25.15
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 17,843 25.11
Democratic Charles Gilliam (inc.) 17,701 24.91
Democratic Sammy Dalton (inc.) 17,641 24.83
West Virginia House of Delegates District 16 Democratic Primary Election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 8,119 18.66
Democratic Charles Gilliam (inc.) 7,863 18.07
Democratic Tomas Mathis (inc.) 6,990 16.07
Democratic Sammy Dalton (inc.) 6,766 15.55
Democratic Claude Ellis 4,340 9.98
Democratic Gary Hoke 3,343 7.68
Democratic Larry Hendricks 3,177 7.30
Democratic James Trent 2,905 6.68
West Virginia House of Delegates District 16 Election, 1978
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Tom Mathis (inc.) 11,523 21.10
Democratic Sammy Dalton (inc.) 11,501 21.06
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 11,439 20.94
Democratic Charles Gilliam (inc.) 11,395 20.86
Republican Shirley Mae Baisden 4,721 8.64
Republican Samuel Dingess 4,043 7.40
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Democratic Primary Election, 1980
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin 12,183 57.02
Democratic Moss Burgess 4,982 23.32
Democratic Danny Dahill 4,200 19.66
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 1980
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin 28,065 72.04
Republican Dennis Fillinger 10,895 27.96
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 1984
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 28,297 74.99
Republican Emil Baldwin Sr. 9,436 25.01
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Democratic Primary Election, 1988
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 15,470 59.21
Democratic Art Kirkendoll 10,659 40.79
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 1988
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 25,840 100.00
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 1992
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 26,198 100.00
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Democratic Primary Election, 1996
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 15,580 60.98
Democratic Larry Hendricks 6,610 25.87
Democratic Moss Burgess 3,359 13.15
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 1996
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 25,396 81.45
Republican Stephen Ray Smith 5,783 18.55
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 26,408 100.00
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Democratic Primary Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 17,194 81.30
Democratic Bruce "Becky" Hobbs 3,955 18.70
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 27,147 74.48
Republican Billy Marcum 9,300 25.52
West Virginia State Senate District 7 Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 24,010 73.15
Republican Billy Marcum 8,813 26.85
West Virginia Gubernatorial Special Democratic Primary Election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin 51,348 40.40
Democratic Rick Thompson 30,631 24.10
Democratic Natalie Tennant 22,106 17.39
Democratic John Perdue 15,995 12.58
Democratic Jeffrey Kessler 6,550 5.15
Democratic Arne Moltis 481 0.38
West Virginia Gubernatorial Special Election, 2011
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin 149,202 49.55
Republican Bill Maloney 141,656 47.05
Mountain Bob Henry Baber 6,083 2.02
Independent Marla Dee Ingels 2,875 0.95
American Third Position Harry Bertram 1,111 0.37
Write-in Phil Hudok 76 0.03
Write-in Donald Lee Underwood 54 0.02
Write-in John "Rick" Bartlett 27 0.01
West Virginia Gubernatorial Democratic Primary Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 170,481 84.37
Democratic Arne Moltis 31,587 15.63
West Virginia Gubernatorial Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin (inc.) 335,468 50.49
Republican Bill Maloney 303,291 45.65
Mountain Jesse Johnson 16,787 2.53
Libertarian David Moran 8,909 1.34

Notes

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  1. ^ Assumed title of lieutenant governor in 2000.

References

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  1. ^ "Freda Mae Tomblin's Obituary on Southern WV". Southern WV. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  2. ^ "Earl Ray Tomblin". The West Virginia Encyclopedia. Charleston, West Virginia: West Virginia Humanities Council. November 3, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  3. ^ "West Virginia Senate District Map". West Virginia Senate. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
  4. ^ "West Virginia Constitution". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  5. ^ "Tomblin succeeds Manchin as West Virginia governor". Washington Post. November 15, 2010. Retrieved November 17, 2010.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ "Acting W.Va. Governor Proclaims Oct. 4 Election". Charleston Gazette. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  7. ^ "News from The Associated Press". Hosted.ap.org. October 5, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  8. ^ "Earl Ray Tomblin Sworn in as W.Va. Governor – WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports". Wowktv.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  9. ^ "Governor Tomblin Endorses Hillary Clinton for President". Office of the Governor of West Virginia. April 29, 2016. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Associated Press (March 29, 2014) – "WV Governor Vetoes Abortion Bill, Sparking Outrage From National Pro-Life Group". Fox News. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  11. ^ a b La Ganga, Maria (March 3, 2015) – "West Virginia Governor Vetoes Bill Banning Abortion At 20 Weeks". Los-Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  12. ^ Eyre, Eric & Nuzum, Lydia (March 6, 2015) – "20-Week Abortion Ban to Become W.Va. Law; Senate Overrides Tomblin Veto". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  13. ^ Kercheval, Hoppy (May 9, 2013) – "Poll Numbers Show Manchin, Capito, Tomblin, Tennant Strength". WV MetroNews. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  14. ^ Jensen, Tom (September 25, 2013) – "West Virginia Miscellany". Public Policy Polling. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  15. ^ "About the First Lady". Firstlady.wv.gov. November 15, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  16. ^ "President Joanne Jaeger Tomblin Announces Retirement | News from Southern". Southernwv.edu. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Earl Ray Tomblin.
Political offices
Preceded by President of the West Virginia Senate
1995–2011 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Governor of West Virginia
2010–2017
Acting: 2010–2011 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Joe Manchin
 Democratic nominee for Governor of West Virginia
2011, 2012 		Succeeded by
Jim Justice
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former Governor Order of precedence of the United States
Within West Virginia 		Succeeded byas Former Governor
Order of precedence of the United States
Outside West Virginia 		Succeeded byas Former Governor
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