Mike Azinger

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Mike Azinger

| image name =

| state_senate = West Virginia

| alongside = Donna Boley

| district = 3rd

| term_start = December 1, 2016

| term_end =

| predecessor = Bob Ashley

| successor =

| state_delegate1 = West Virginia

| district1 = 10th

| term_start1 = December 1, 2014

| term_end1 = December 1, 2016

| party = Republican

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|4|12}}

| birth_place = Parkersburg, West Virginia, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| profession =

| spouse =

| residence = Vienna, West Virginia, U.S.

| successor1 = Vernon Criss

| predecessor1 = {{plainlist|

Tom Azinger
John Ellem
Daniel Poling

}}

Michael Thomas Azinger is an American politician. He is a Republican member of the West Virginia Senate,{{Cite web|url=http://www.wvlegislature.gov/senate1/lawmaker.cfm?member=Senator%20Azinger|website=West Virginia Legislature|author=|accessdate=October 30, 2017|title=Mike Azinger}}{{cite web|url=http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=148408|website=Vote Smart|author=|accessdate=October 30, 2017|title=Mike Azinger's Biography}} representing the 3rd district since January 11, 2017. Prior to this, Azinger represented the 10th District in the West Virginia House of Delegates from 2015 to 2017, succeeding his father, Tom Azinger. Prior to service in the West Virginia legislature, he was a resident of Ohio, where he ran twice for the Sixth Congressional District. In 1998, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination, coming in third behind Lt. Governor Nancy Hollister and former Congressman Frank Cremeans. In 2000, he won the Republican nomination, but failed in his bid to unseat Rep. Ted Strickland, taking only 40% of the vote.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=1535|title=Our Campaigns - Candidate - Mike Azinger|website=www.ourcampaigns.com|accessdate=Jan 12, 2021}}

Azinger attended the January 6, 2021, Stop the Steal rally near the U.S. Capitol but did not walk to or enter the building. He claimed he saw no violence and blamed "antifa" for the attack.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2021/01/azinger-blames-antifa-for-invasion-of-u-s-capitol-by-trump-supporters/|title=Azinger blames Antifa for invasion of U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters|accessdate=Jan 12, 2021}} These claims have been widely disputed;{{cite news | publisher = reuters.com | date = January 9, 2021 | title = Fact check: Men who stormed Capitol identified by Reuters are not undercover Antifa as posts claim | author = Reuters Staff | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-capitol-mob-antifa-undercov/fact-check-men-who-stormed-capitol-identified-by-reuters-are-not-undercover-antifa-as-posts-claim-idUSKBN29E0QO}} over 800 people have been convicted for their roles in the attack.{{cite news | publisher = npr.org | date = April 15, 2022 | title = The Capitol siege: The cases behind the biggest criminal investigation in U.S. history | author = Staff | url = https://www.npr.org/2021/02/09/965472049/the-capitol-siege-the-arrested-and-their-stories}}

Election results

{{Election box begin no change| title=West Virginia Senate District 3 (Position A) election, 2022{{cite web|url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/WV/115844/web.307039/#/summary|title=Statewide Results: General Election - November 8, 2022|website=West Virginia Secretary of State|accessdate=December 2, 2022}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Mike Azinger (incumbent)

|votes = 20,812

|percentage = 65.71%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Leach

|votes = 10,861

|percentage = 34.29%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 31,673

| percentage = 100.0%

}}

{{Election box begin no change| title=West Virginia Senate District 3 (Position A) election, 2018{{cite web|url=https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/WV/92360/Web02-state.222648/#/cid/450|title=Statewide Results: General Election - November 6, 2018|website=West Virginia Secretary of State|accessdate=November 11, 2019}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Mike Azinger (incumbent)

|votes = 19,964

|percentage = 57.40%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Jim Leach

|votes = 14,818

|percentage = 42.60%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 34,782

| percentage = 100.0%

}}

In 2015, Republican Senator David Nohe resigned just one year into his four-year term due to family commitments.{{Cite news|date=April 24, 2016|title=Three candidates vying for unexpired W.Va. Senate seat|work=The Parkersburg News and Sentinel|url=https://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2016/04/three-candidates-vying-for-unexpired-w-va-senate-seat/}} Delegate Bob Ashley was appointed to fill the seat until the next regularly scheduled election. Rather than run for the unexpired term, Ashley chose to challenge Senator Donna Boley for a full term in the Senate. As a result, area businessman Sam Winans and Delegate Azinger ran for the remaining two years on the term. Azinger beat Winans 61-39% to advance to the November general election against Democratic nominee Gregory Smith, former CEO of Mountain State Blue Cross-Blue Shield. Azinger beat Smith 55-45% to win the unexpired term.{{Cite web|title=Statewide Results General Election - November 8, 2016|url=http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2016&eid=23&county=Statewide|url-status=dead|website=West Virginia Secretary of State|access-date=October 30, 2017|archive-date=December 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225112543/http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2016&eid=23&county=Statewide}}

{{Election box begin no change| title=West Virginia Senate District 3 (Position A) special election, 2016{{cite web|url=http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2016&eid=23&county=Statewide|title=Statewide Results: General Election - November 8, 2016|website=West Virginia Secretary of State|accessdate=October 30, 2017|archive-date=December 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225112543/http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2016&eid=23&county=Statewide|url-status=dead}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Mike Azinger

|votes = 23,034

|percentage = 54.64%

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change|

|party = Democratic Party (United States)

|candidate = Gregory K. Smith

|votes = 19,125

|percentage = 45.36%

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 42,159

| percentage = 100.0%

}}

{{Election box open primary begin no change| title= West Virginia Senate District 3 (Position A) Republican primary, 2016}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Mike Azinger

| votes = 9,065

| percentage = 60.72%

| change =

}}

{{Election box candidate with party link no change

| party = Republican Party (United States)

| candidate = Sam Winans

| votes = 5,865

| percentage = 39.28%

| change =

}}

{{Election box total no change

| votes = 14,930

| percentage = 100.0%

| change =

}}

{{Election box begin no change| title=West Virginia House District 10 election, 2014{{cite web|url=http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2014&eid=21&county=Statewide|title=Statewide Results: General Election - November 4, 2014|website=West Virginia Secretary of State|accessdate=October 30, 2017|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107040731/http://services.sos.wv.gov/apps/elections/results/results.aspx?year=2014&eid=21&county=Statewide|url-status=dead}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Mike Azinger

|votes = 8,375

|percentage = 23.48%

}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|

|party = Republican Party (United States)

|candidate = Frank Deem

|votes = 7,479

|percentage = 20.96%

}}