A Republican to Replace Sen. Hall

The GOP will keep the majority in the Senate. The West Virginia Supreme Court ordered Friday that a Republican fill a key state Senate vacancy created by the resignation of Sen. Daniel Hall, who was elected a Democrat and resigned a Republican. In a 3-1 decision, Justice Margaret Workman wrote that the state law is not ambiguous. Now Republicans will maintain the numbers to move policies into law, even if Tomblin vetoes them. Among the most divisive proposals are a right-to-work bill that passed the Senate by a 17-16 party-line vote Thursday and the repeal of the state’s prevailing wage for public construction projects. The GOP would need a simple majority in each chamber to override a policy veto.