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Earl Ray Tomblin

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Earl Ray Tomblin
Governor of West Virginia
Incumbent
In office
November 15, 2010 - Present
Term ends
2012
Years in position 2
PartyDemocratic
Elections and appointments
Last electionOctober 4, 2011
Term limitsN/A
Prior offices
West Virginia State Senate
1980 - November 15, 2010
West Virginia House of Delegates
1974 - 1980
Education
Bachelor'sWest Virginia University
Master'sMarshall University
Personal
BirthdayMarch 15, 1952
Websites
Office website

Contents

Earl Ray Tomblin (b. March 15, 1952 in Logan County, West Virginia) is the current Democratic Governor of West Virginia. He first assumed the office of acting governor by virtue of his role as President of the West Virginia State Senate in January 2010, and was elected on October 4, 2011 to serve the remainder of former governor Joe Manchin's unexpired term.[1] He is running for election to a full, 4 year term in the 2012 elections.

Before being elected governor, Tomblin had been a state Senator since 1980, representing the 7th district. Tomblin was the longest serving senate president in West Virginia history.

Biography

Tomblin was born on March 15, 1952 in Logan County, WV. Growing up, he and his family lived above a Chapmanville restaurant his parents owned. He worked in the restaurant bussing tables before attenting West Virginia University, where he earned a a bachelor of science degree.

Education

  • BS, West Virginia University
  • MBA, Marshall University

Political career

Governor of West Virginia (2010-Present)

Tomblin was sworn in as Acting Governor on November 16, 2010[2] He became the interim Governor of West Virginia when current Governor Joe Manchin resigned to fill the United States Senate seat of the late Senator Robert C. Byrd.


Tomblin's plans as acting governor

On November 8, 2010, Tomblin announced that he would act as both acting governor of West Virginia and senate president, while turning over the day-to-day running of the senate to Senate Pro Tempore Joe Minard (D-Harrison). “Our Constitution and our laws contemplate a clear and organized transfer of power,” said Tomblin. “The Constitution states that, when a vacancy arises in the offices of governor, the senate president shall act as governor until a vacancy is filled. Throughout my tenure as Senate President, I have always been mindful of this responsibility.”[3]

Judicial appointments

As governor, Tomblin is responsible for appointing judges to West Virginia state courts. In West Virginia, the governor makes a judicial appointment to fill a vacancy. The judge serves the remainder of the unexpired term. For an up-to-date list of all of Tomblin's appointees, see Judgepedia's page on his appointments.

Supreme Court ruling

In early 2011, a Supreme Court battle ensued about when to elect the next Governor of West Virginia. Citizen Action Group and local attorney Thorton Cooper say the state Constitution and state code disagree, and a special election for governor should be called quickly. Attorneys for Acting Gov. Tomblin and House Speaker Richard Thompson disagree whether an election should be called. Secretary of State Natalie Tennant‘s legal counsel took a neutral position.

Kathryn Bayless, counsel for CAG, said only the court could require the Legislature and Tomblin to act, and that an election is needed as soon as possible. Bayless argued that article 7 section 16 of the Constitution is clear there “shall” be a “new” election for governor in event of an absence. “The people of West Virginia want a new election, and that is what the Constitution provides for,” Bayless said.

“What would you have us do in respect to President Tomblin and the Speaker,” asked Justice Brent Benjamin. “What would you have us mandate those two individuals do? You have us mandate those two individuals to legislate?”

“No sir, I would mandate a new election be conducted as soon as practical, and I believe the court has the authority to do that,” Bayless said.[4]

West Virginia State Senate (1980-2011)

Tomblin was first elected to the West Virginia State Senate in 1980. He served as Senate President from 1995-2011.

Committee assignments

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Tomblin was appointed to these committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Tomblin served on these committees:

West Virginia House of Delegates (1974-1980)

Prior to serving in the state senate, Tomblin was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1974, and then re-elected in 1976 and 1978.

Endorsements

2012

Heading into the primary, Tomblin has been endorsed by the West Virginia AFL-CIO's Committee on Political Education.[5]

Elections

2012

See also: West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2012 and West Virginia state executive official elections, 2012

Tomblin is running for election to a full term in 2012. He defeated Arnie Moltis in the Democratic primary on May 8, 2012 and will face Bill Maloney in the November 6, 2012 general election.[6]

2011

See also: West Virginia special gubernatorial election, 2011 and West Virginia state executive official elections, 2011

West Virginia was not scheduled to hold a gubernatorial election until 2012. However, elected Democrat Joe Manchin gave up the seat to join the U.S. Senate in the 2010 midterms. Tomblin took over the office as West Virginia does not have a lieutenant governor, and won the primary election held May 17th.

Links to gambling

During the 2011 gubernatorial election, Tomblin came under fire for his reported connections to gambling interests in West Virginia.

  • Tomblin's mother, Freda, is the owner of Tomblin Kennels. Tomblin Kennels breeds greyhounds for West Virginia's two dog racing tracks: Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center and Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center. Tomblin Kennels received $263,604 in 2007 from the West Virginia Greyhound Breeder Development Fund, a state agency.[7]
  • Tomblin owned Southern Amusement, a company that currently owns 640 video lottery terminals at 128 locations in the state, until 1995. At the time it was against the law for video lottery machines, known as gray machines, to be able to pay out. Under pressure to end his association with this company, Tomblin sold it to former state delegate Joe Ferrell, a family friend. Ferrell was indicted June 8, 2009, on 48 counts, including racketeering, mail fraud, and obstruction, by United States Attorney Charles T. Miller.[8][9]
  • Executives associated with the Mountaineer RaceTrack and Gaming Resort gave $2,000 to Tomblin's 2008 senate campaign.[8]
  • Tomblin's 2008 campaign was given $1,000 by the Friends of the Track Political Action Committee (PAC), Charlestown Racing, $1,000 from Penn National Gaming PAC; $1,000 from Phil Reale, attorney for the West Virginia Limited Video Lottery Retailers Association; and $850 from Linda Knowles, owner of K & K Music, a video lottery business.
  • Executives associated with Wheeling Island Racetrack and Gaming Center gave a total of $4,000 to the 2008 campaign. Wheeling Island Racetrack is owned by Delaware North. Jeremy M. Jacobs is the chair and CEO of Delaware North. Jacobs and his two sons gave a cumulative total of $4,000 in 2008 to the Tomblin campaign.[8]

General

The West Virginia special gubernatorial election was held on October 4, 2011.[10]

Governor of West Virginia, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Earl Ray Tomblin 49.1% 102,234
     Republican Bill Maloney 47.5% 99,013
     Mountain Party Bob Henry Baber 2% 4,193
     Independent Marla Ingels 0.9% 1,967
     American Third Position Harry Bertram 0.4% 795
Total Votes 208,324

Primary

Acting Governor of West Virginia Tomblin won the Democratic seat for the November 2011 special election following a 40.37% win in the May 17 primary. Tomblin faced five Democrats in the primary.

Governor of West Virginia Democratic Primary, 2011
Candidate Vote % Votes
Earl Ray Tomblin Incumbent 40.4% 51,348
Rick Thompson 24.1% 30,631
Natalie Tennant 17.4% 22,106
John Perdue 12.6% 15,995
Jeffrey Kessler 5.2% 6,550
Arnie Moltis 0.4% 481
Total Votes 127,111

2010

Tomblin's senate seat was not up for election in 2010, yet Tomblin made plans to turn over his position as president of the senate to Joe Minard as Tomblin steps in as Governor of West Virginia.[11]

2008

On November 4, 2008, Earl Ray Tomblin won re-election to the West Virginia State Senate, District 7. [12]

Campaign donors

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Earl Ray Tomblin's donors each year.[13] Click [show] for more information.


Personal

In July 2009, the National Conference of State Legislatures awarded Tomblin its 2009 Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award.[14]

Tomblin has been married to his wife, Joanne, for 31 years. Joanne is the president of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College.[8] Together, they have one son.

See also

External links

 		Suggest a link

References

  1. ↑ Huffington Post.com, "West Virginia election results," October 4, 2011
  2. ↑ West Virginia Watchdog "VIDEO: Acting Gov. Tomblin Takes Oath of Office", November 16, 2010
  3. ↑ "VIDEO: Tomblin Announces Plans as Acting Governor of West Virginia," West Virginia Watchdog, November 8, 2010
  4. ↑ "W.Va. Supreme Court Hears Arguments for Gubernatorial Special Election," West Virginia Watchdog, January 12, 2011
  5. ↑ Herald-Dispatch "W.Va. candidates receive endorsements," March 8, 2012
  6. ↑ WDTV.com, "Tomblin, Maloney to face off again in November," May 8, 2012
  7. ↑ Wheeling News Register, "Breeders Cash In", August 10, 2008
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 West Virginia Examiner, "More Tomblin Connections", July 29, 2009
  9. ↑ West Virginia Examiner, "Missed Connections in Ferrell Case"
  10. ↑ Official results; West Virginia Secretary of State
  11. ↑ West Virginia official list of 2010 candidates
  12. ↑ West Virginia Election Results
  13. ↑ Follow the Money.org
  14. ↑ NCSL, "Mountain State Lawmaker Reaches Summit", July 21, 2009
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1. Orphy Klempa (D)
1. Jack Yost (D)
2. Larry Edgell (D)
2. Jeffrey Kessler (D)
3. Donna Boley (R)
3. David Nohe (R)
4. Karen Facemyer (R)

4. Mike Hall (R)
5. Evan Jenkins (D)
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7. Ron Stollings (D)

8. Corey Palumbo (D)
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14. Robert Williams (D)
14. David Sypolt (R)

15. Clark Barnes (R)
15. Walt Helmick (D)
16. John Unger (D)
16. Herb Snyder (D)
17. Dan Foster (D)
17. Brooks McCabe (D)

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