1980Flipped from RepublicanFinal resultsIncumbent defeated
1980 election for West Virginia Senate District 15
West Virginia State Senate · West Virginia
Gerald W. Ash (D) won with 56.2% of the vote, defeating J. D. Hinkle Jr. (R) by 12.4 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
Gerald W. AshDemocrat · winner
56.2%24,059
J. D. Hinkle Jr.Republican · incumbent
43.8%18,767
42,826 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 1980
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET