1976Final results
1976 Democratic primary for West Virginia Delegate District 16
West Virginia House of Delegates · West Virginia
Earl Ray Tomblin (D) won with 14.9% of the vote, defeating William I. Clayton (D) by 7.3 points.
Earl Ray TomblinDemocrat · winner · incumbent
14.9%8,545
Denver MathisDemocrat · winner
13.3%7,641
Sammie DaltonDemocrat · winner · incumbent
11.7%6,745
Charles GilliamDemocrat · winner · incumbent
11.4%6,523
William I. ClaytonDemocrat
7.5%4,331
Mike HillDemocrat
7.2%4,144
Jimmy VanceDemocrat
5.7%3,274
F. Cris FarleyDemocrat
5.7%3,246
John E. MendezDemocrat
5.5%3,169
Sim Howze Jr.Democrat
3.8%2,197
Florena G. ColvinDemocrat
2.8%1,618
Dollie Mae HillDemocrat
2.7%1,556
Homer W. VaughnDemocrat
2.7%1,535
Charles Jesse DillonDemocrat
2.2%1,261
Robert L. Marcum Jr.Democrat
1.5%844
Greg Anderson AdamsDemocrat
1.4%783
57,412 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Earl Ray Tomblin (D)Denver Mathis (D)Sammie Dalton (D)Charles Gilliam (D)William I. Clayton (D)Mike Hill (D)Jimmy Vance (D)F. Cris Farley (D)John E. Mendez (D)
Also on the ballot: Sim Howze Jr. (Democrat), 3.8%; Florena G. Colvin (Democrat), 2.8%; Dollie Mae Hill (Democrat), 2.7%; Homer W. Vaughn (Democrat), 2.7%; Charles Jesse Dillon (Democrat), 2.2%; Robert L. Marcum Jr. (Democrat), 1.5%; Greg Anderson Adams (Democrat), 1.4%