Hampshire County State Delegate Darren Thorne has been appointed to fill the State Senate seat left vacant by Charles Trump IV, who has been elected to serve on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.
Trump resigned from his State Senate seat on December 10 and became effective that day. He reportedly was sworn in as a member of the Supreme Court that same day to begin a 12-year term.
The West Virginia Republican Party sought applicants to fill the State Senate seat representing the 15th senatorial district, which includes Morgan County.
Darren Thorne was just re-elected to the House of Delegates representing the 89th delegate district, which includes western Morgan County and most of Hampshire County.
“I’m honored that Governor Justice has chosen me to be the next Senator from the 15th District. I have greatly enjoyed my time in the House of Delegates, and I look forward to serving both my current constituents in Hampshire and Morgan Counties and my new constituents in Morgan and Berkeley counties. I look forward to this opportunity and working with Senate leadership to help move West Virginia forward,” Thorne said in a statement about his appointment.
His shift to the State Senate means his seat will be open.
The West Virginia GOP was seeking candidates to appoint to the 89th district seat, with applications closing on Friday, December 27. An appointment to the seat is expected soon, as Governor Jim Justice has less than two weeks in office to make the appointment official.
