Charlotte Pritt

Charlotte Pritt
Member of the West Virginia Senate
from the 17th district
In office
December 1, 1988 – December 1, 1992
Preceded by Tod Kaufman
Succeeded by Martha Yeager Walker
Personal details
Born (1949-06-06) June 6, 1949
Charleston, West Virginia, U.S.
Political party Democratic (Before 2012)
Mountain (2012–present)
Education Marshall University (BA, MA)

Charlotte Pritt (born January 2, 1949) is an American educator, businesswoman, and politician in the U.S. state of West Virginia. From 1984 to 1988, she served in the West Virginia House of Delegates. From 1988 to 1992, she served in the West Virginia State Senate. She ran unsuccessfully for West Virginia governor in 1992, 1996 and 2016 and for West Virginia Secretary of State in 2000.

Career

Prior to entering politics, Pritt was a high school English teacher and a college professor. When elected to the West Virginia State Legislature, she directed two federal education grants and the National Writing Program in West Virginia.[1][2][3]

Statewide campaigns

1992

Pritt ran for governor as a Democrat in the primary election in 1992, but lost to Gaston Caperton. She gained notoriety initially by challenging then-Governor Caperton on his grocery and gasoline taxes and opposition to collective bargaining. Pritt entered the race as a Democrat in 1992 after 100,000 people signed a petition. Caperton defeated Pritt in the primary, 42.68 to 34.65 percent. West Virginia attorney general Mario Palumbo came in third, with 20.1 percent.

After losing the Democratic primary to Caperton, Pritt refused to endorse her opponent and mounted an independent write-in bid for governor in the general election. She garnered 7.4 percent in the race, in which Caperton defeated Republican Cleve Benedict, 56 to 36.6 percent.

1996

Pritt ran as a Democrat for governor and defeated Joe Manchin in the primary, 39.5 to 32.6 percent.

Pritt lost in the general election to Republican Cecil Underwood, 51.6 to 45.8 percent. She was the first woman to secure the West Virginia gubernatorial nomination of either of the two major political parties. A group, known as "Democrats for Underwood" consisted of some West Virginia Democratic officials who refused to back her in the general election.

2000

Pritt ran for West Virginia Secretary of State in 2000, losing the Democratic primary to Manchin, 51.1 to 28.9 percent.

2016

She was nominated as the Mountain Party's candidate for West Virginia governor on July 16, 2016, at the party's convention.[4] She came in third place in the general election, receiving nearly 6% of the vote, behind winner Jim Justice and Bill Cole.

Mountain Party

From 2012 to 2014, she was Chairwoman of the Mountain Party[5][6] which is the West Virginia Green Party state branch affiliate.

Personal life

Today, she is the president of Better Balance, a West Virginia-based educational and wellness consulting firm.

Electoral history

West Virginia Senate District 17, Position B election, 1988[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Charlotte Pritt 38,229 54.08
Republican Charles Jones 32,464 45.92
Total votes 70,693 100.00
West Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1992[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gaston Caperton 142,261 42.68
Democratic Charlotte Pritt 115,498 34.65
Democratic Mario Palumbo 66,984 20.10
Democratic Larry Butcher 4,994 1.50
Democratic Rodger Belknap 3,590 1.08
Total votes 333,327 100.00
West Virginia gubernatorial election, 1992[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Gaston Caperton 368,302 56.01
Republican Cleve Benedict 240,390 36.56
Nonpartisan Charlotte Pritt (write-in) 48,873 7.43
Total votes 657,565 100.00
West Virginia Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1996[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Charlotte Pritt 130,107 39.54
Democratic Joe Manchin 107,124 32.56
Democratic Jim Lees 64,100 19.48
Democratic Larrie Bailey 15,733 4.78
Democratic Bobbie Edward Myers 3,038 0.92
Democratic Lyle Sattes 2,931 0.89
Democratic Bob Henry Baber 1,456 0.44
Democratic Louis J. Davis 1,351 0.41
Democratic Frank Rochetti 1,330 0.40
Democratic Richard E. Koon 1,154 0.35
Democratic Fred Schell 733 0.22
Total votes 329,057 100.00
West Virginia gubernatorial election, 1996[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cecil H. Underwood 324,518 51.63
Democratic Charlotte Pritt 287,870 45.80
Libertarian Wallace Johnson 16,171 2.57
Total votes 628,559 100.00
West Virginia Secretary of State Democratic primary, 2000[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe Manchin 141,839 51.08
Democratic Charlotte Pritt 80,148 28.86
Democratic Mike Oliverio 35,424 12.76
Democratic Bobby Nelson 20,259 7.30
Total votes 277,670 100.00
West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2016[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jim Justice 350,408 49.09
Republican Bill Cole 301,987 42.30
Mountain Charlotte Pritt 42,068 5.89
Libertarian David Moran 15,354 2.15
Constitution Phil Hudok 4,041 0.57
Total votes 713,858 100.00

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
  2. ↑ "Back in the Statehouse After 4 Decades Away". The New York Times. 10 December 1996.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "Mountain Party Drafts Charlotte Pritt for Governor - Mountain Party WV". 27 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "| Pritt named chairwoman of Mountain Party". Wvgazette.com. 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ "WV State Senate 17 1988". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  8. ↑ "WV Governor - D Primary 1992". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  9. ↑ "WV Governor 1992". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  10. ↑ "WV Governor - D Primary 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  11. ↑ "WV Governor 1996". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  12. ↑ "WV Secretary of State - D Primary 2000". Our Campaigns. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Statewide Results General Election November 8, 2016". West Virginia Secretary of State. State of West Virginia. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Gaston Caperton		 Democratic nominee for Governor of West Virginia
1996		 Succeeded by
Bob Wise
Preceded by
Jesse Johnson		 Mountain Party nominee for Governor of West Virginia
2016		 Most recent
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