{{short description|American businessman and politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Jay Wolfe cropped.jpg | name = Jay Wolfe | caption = | state_senate = West Virginia | district = 13th | term_start = December 1, 1986 | term_end = December 1, 1990 | constituency = | predecessor = | successor = Joseph M. Minard | party = Republican | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1955|4|5|mf=y}} | birth_place = Parkersburg, West Virginia, U.S. | alma_mater = Glenville State College | profession = Legislator, business owner | spouse = Mollie Wolfe }}
'''Jay Wolfe''' (born April 5, 1955) is an American business owner and former West Virginia state senator, and U.S. Senate candidate.
== Early life, education, and business career == Wolfe was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Parkersburg-West-Virginia.html|title=Parkersburg, West Virginia |publisher= City-Data.com|accessdate= June 7, 2014}}</ref> to Donald and Emogene Moore Wolfe. He graduated from Parkersburg South High School in 1973. He attended Marshall University and graduated from Glenville State College in 1977 with a degree in business administration.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://vote-wv.org/Intro.aspx?State=WV&Id=WVWolfeJay |title=Jay Wolfe, Candidate for West Virginia U.S. Senate |access-date=2010-11-05 |archive-date=2010-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204005415/http://vote-wv.org/Intro.aspx?State=WV&Id=WVWolfeJay |url-status=dead }}</ref>
He owns Wolfe Rentals LLC and Wolfe-Furner Insurance Inc.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008/elections/wv/senate/jay-wolfe/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Jay Wolfe (R) |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002225849/http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008/elections/wv/senate/jay-wolfe/ |archivedate=2012-10-02 }}</ref>
== Political career == In the 1980s, Wolfe was elected to one term in the West Virginia Senate. He was also a member of the Harrison County and state Republican executive committees.
=== 1988 U.S. Senate campaign === {{main|1988 United States Senate election in West Virginia}}
Wolfe lost to incumbent Democrat Robert C. Byrd, but his 35.2% of the vote was the highest percentage that any of Byrd's opponents had scored since his first Senate win in 1958 over Chapman Revercomb (who received 40.8% that year). Byrd outspent Wolfe by $3 million to $200,000.
=== 2002 U.S. Senate campaign === {{main|2002 United States Senate election in West Virginia}}
Wolfe lost to incumbent Democrat Jay Rockefeller, receiving 36.9% of the vote. Rockefeller outspent Wolfe by $5 million to $150,000.
=== 2008 U.S. Senate campaign === {{main|2008 United States Senate election in West Virginia}}
Wolfe lost a rematch with Rockefeller by a nearly identical margin (he received 36.3% of the vote), but with Rockefeller spending more than he did in 2002.
== Electoral history == {{Election box begin | title=West Virginia United States Senate election, 1988<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=3544|title = Our Campaigns - WV US Senate Race - Nov 08, 1988}}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (US) |candidate = '''Robert Byrd''' (inc.) |votes = 410,983 |percentage = 64.8% |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (US) |candidate = Jay Wolfe |votes = 223,564 |percentage = 35.2% |change = }} {{Election box majority| |votes = |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box turnout| |votes = |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Democratic Party (US) |loser = |swing = }} {{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin | title=West Virginia U.S. Senate Election, 2002<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=199|title=Our Campaigns - WV US Senate Race - Nov 05, 2002}}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jay Rockefeller''' |votes = 275,281 |percentage = 63.11 |change = -13.54 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Jay Wolfe |votes = 160,902 |percentage = 36.89 |change = +13.54 }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 114,379 |percentage = 26.22 |change = -27.08 }} {{Election box turnout| |votes = 436,183 |percentage = |change = }} |- | {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}} | colspan=5 |Democratic '''hold''' |- {{Election box end}} {{Election box begin| title=United States Senate election in West Virginia, 2008<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapSWV |title=U.S. Senate: West Virginia |accessdate=2008-11-04 |date=2008-11-04 |publisher=CNN}}</ref>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Democratic Party (United States) |candidate = '''Jay Rockefeller''' |votes = 447,560 |percentage = 63.7 |change = +0.6 }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Republican Party (United States) |candidate = Jay Wolfe |votes = 254,629 |percentage = 36.3 |change = -0.6 }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 192,931 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box turnout| |votes = 702,189 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Democratic Party (US) |loser = |swing = }} {{Election box end}}
== Personal life == Wolfe married his high school girlfriend, Mollie. They have been married for over 40 years. He has four children and ten grandchildren.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=4764 |title=WVPubcast News |website=www.wvpubcast.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014203330/http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=4764 |archive-date=2008-10-14}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Cleve Benedict}} {{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from West Virginia<br />(Class 1)|years=1988}} {{s-aft|after=Stanley L. Klos}} {{s-bef|before=Betty Burks}} {{s-ttl|title={{nowrap|Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from West Virginia}}<br />(Class 2)|years=2002, 2008}} {{s-aft|after=Shelley Moore Capito}} {{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfe, Jay}} Category:Republican Party West Virginia state senators Category:Living people Category:1963 births Category:Politicians from Clarksburg, West Virginia Category:Businesspeople from Parkersburg, West Virginia Category:Politicians from Parkersburg, West Virginia Category:Glenville State University alumni Category:21st-century West Virginia politicians Category:20th-century members of the West Virginia Legislature Category:Businesspeople from Clarksburg, West Virginia Category:Parkersburg South High School alumni