W.Va. Senate president ousted in primary

West Virginia state Senate President Mitch Carmichael (R) on Tuesday lost his bid for another term, suffering a stunning upset to a teacher who had been inspired to run for office by strikes over education funding and low salaries.

The teacher, Amy Nichole Grady (R), beat Carmichael by about 700 votes out of about 16,000 cast.

Her win is something of a measure of revenge after Carmichael feuded with West Virginia teachers over the last few years. The state Senate dragged its feet in approving a 5 percent pay hike for teachers in 2018. 

In a tweet once the results became clear, Carmichael congratulated the winner and pledged to support her in November.

“I look forward to supporting your campaign this fall to ensure our district continues to have a leader who will always fight for conservative values,” Carmichael wrote.

Congratulations to my opponent, Amy Nichole Grady, on winning the 2020 GOP nomination for State Senate in WV’s 4th District. I look forward to supporting your campaign this fall to ensure our district continues to have a leader who will always fight for conservative values.

— Mitch Carmichael (@SenCarmichaelWV) June 10, 2020

As president of the state Senate, Carmichael also serves as West Virginia’s lieutenant governor. He had feuded with Gov. Jim Justice, a Democrat-turned-Republican, over education reform, charter schools and teacher pay. Justice pointedly left Carmichael out of a major fundraiser last year featuring Donald Trump Jr.

Grady is the odds-on favorite to hold the seat in November. The district, along West Virginia’s western border with Ohio, gave President Trump 73 percent of the vote in 2016.