{{Infobox election | election_name = 2012 United States Senate election in West Virginia | country = West Virginia | type = presidential | ongoing = no | previous_election = 2010 United States Senate special election in West Virginia | previous_year = 2010 (special) | next_election = 2018 United States Senate election in West Virginia | next_year = 2018 | election_date = | image_size = 160x180px | turnout = 46.3% (voting eligible) | image1 = | nominee1 = Joe Manchin | party1 = Democratic Party (United States) | popular_vote1 = 399,908 | percentage1 = 60.6% | image2 = | nominee2 = John Raese | party2 = Republican Party (United States) | popular_vote2 = 240,787 | percentage2 = 36.5% | map_image = 2012 United States Senate election in West Virginia results map by county.svg | map_size = 250px | map_caption = County resultsManchin: Raese: | title = U.S. Senator | before_election = Joe Manchin | before_party = Democratic Party (United States) | after_election = Joe Manchin | after_party = Democratic Party (United States) }} The 2012 United States Senate election in West Virginia' was held on November 6, 2012, to elect one of West Virginia's two members of the U.S. Senate for a six-year term. In a rematch of the 2010 special election, incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin won re-election to a first full term against the Republican nominee, John Raese. Notably, Manchin outperformed Barack Obama in the concurrent presidential election by 25.06 percentage points in vote share, and by 50.86 percentage points on margin. Background Robert Byrd held this seat in the U.S. Senate since 1959, after having served in the House of Representatives since 1953, making him the longest-serving person in Congress. Byrd led his party in the Senate from 1977 to 1989, as Majority Leader or Minority Leader. Afterward, as the most senior Democrat in the Senate, he served as President pro tempore of the Senate whenever his party was in the majority, including at the time of his death. After Byrd's death, West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant initially announced that a special election would be held on the same day as the regular election for the six-year term. However, that special election was rescheduled to 2010 for it to coincide with the 2010 mid-term elections. Governor Joe Manchin made a temporary appointment of Carte Goodwin to the vacant seat. Goodwin was later replaced by Manchin