[OldDeckHand]

"What is preventing the governor from calling a special primary election for sometime in August or September, to be followed by the general election in November?"

The Supreme Court of WV. See my post just above.

[AuH2ORepublican]

The WV Supreme Court wouldn’t prevent the Gov. from calling a special primary and having the seat be filled at the Nov. general election, but neither will it (if it follows it’s perverse precedent) mandate that the Gov. do so, and obviously Dem Gov. Manchin is not going to want to give the GOP the chance to win the seat this November.