Pritt was the first woman to secure the West Virginia gubernatorial nomination of either of the two major political parties. This was the last election in which a Republican was elected Governor of West Virginia until
2020. Former Republican
Jim Justice was elected in the
2016 election as a Democrat and later switched back to the Republican Party seven months into his term, making him the first Republican governor since 2001 when Underwood left office. As of 2023, this is the last time that the winning Republican gubernatorial nominee was not an incumbent Governor of West Virginia.