1972Flipped from RepublicanFinal resultsSpecial election
1972 special election for West Virginia Senate District 4
West Virginia State Senate · West Virginia
Robert F. Hatfield (D) won with 50.7% of the vote, defeating Elmer A. Fike (R) by 1.3 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Robert F. HatfieldDemocrat · winner
50.7%20,440
Elmer A. FikeRepublican
49.3%19,909
40,349 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1972
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET