Last November, Governor of West Virginia Joe Manchin was elected a United States Senator in a special election to fill the remainder of the term originally held by the late Senator Robert Byrd. Manchin had earlier in 2008 been elected to a second gubernatorial tem, ending in January 2013.
The current acting governor is Earl Ray Tomblin, who, as president of the state senate took the office of acting governor on November 15, 2010, upon the resignation of Joe Manchin to take his seat in the U.S. Senate.
The constitution of West Virginia doesn’t contain the position of lieutenant governor; if the governorship becomes vacant, the Senate President acts as governor. If more than one year remains in the governor's term at the time of vacancy, a new election has to be held; if the time is less, the acting governor serves the remainder of the term (WV Constitution article VII, § 16).
