West Virginia 78th State House District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
65.9%
2,945 votes · D+31.8 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1936 · 52.7%
Republican
William McKinley1900
71.3%
691 votes · R+44.7 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Warren G. Harding, 1920 · 70.9%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
3,633votes
40.9% of the vote · R+16.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 3,478 votes
Republican
Donald Trump2020
5,073votes
57.1% of the vote · R+16.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Donald Trump, 2024 · 4,996 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
+9.2pts D vs U.S.
Place D+31.8 · U.S. D+22.6 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Hubert Humphrey, 1968 · +1.6 pts
Republican
Benjamin Harrison1892
+37.8pts R vs U.S.
Place R+36.2 · U.S. D+1.7 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · William McKinley, 1900 · +37.1 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
RGeno ChiarelliState House · 78
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
U.S. House elections · 2 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year
Vote lead
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
R
46.2%3,180
53.8%3,698
6,878
2018
D
54.8%2,962
45.2%2,440
5,402
With fewer than 19,000 residents and a 2024 presidential margin of R+17.5, Delegate District 78 reflects the broader rightward consolidation that has reshaped West Virginia's legislative map over the past decade.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 31.8 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 45.2 points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 1.2 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 17.4 points.
A population of 18,617, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $95,814 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Delegate District 82 and State House District 67.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
West Virginia 78th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/54078/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did West Virginia 78th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, West Virginia 78th State House District voted Republican by 17.4 points (R+17.4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 8,738 votes cast, 3,478 went Democratic and 4,996 went Republican.
When did West Virginia 78th State House District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which West Virginia 78th State House District voted Democratic was 1992.
How many people live in West Virginia 78th State House District?
West Virginia 78th State House District has a population of 18,617 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in West Virginia 78th State House District?
Median household income in West Virginia 78th State House District is $95,814 — above the national median of $80,734. The West Virginia state median is $59,608.
What is the political history of West Virginia 78th State House District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in West Virginia 78th State House District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 33 went Republican.