More than 100 Democrats have signed up to run for seats in the Republican-led West Virginia Legislature this year. (Photo by Lori Kersey/West Virginia Watch)
Democrats have filed for at least 85 of the 100 seats in the West Virginia House of Representatives and 17 of the 19 seats up for grabs in the Senate this year.
The at least 125 Democrats running for seats in the Legislature — along with others running for state and county seats — reflect a “historic surge” that has been underway for years, the Democratic Party said Monday.
State party chairman Mike Pushkin, a delegate from Kanawha County, said many Democratic candidates are running this year because of their frustration with what is happening under Republican leadership in West Virginia and across the country.
“We have a lot of people who are upset about the Republican supermajority forcing data centers in places where people just don’t want them and taking away local control,” he said. “That’s just one example. There are a lot of people who are frustrated with the Republican supermajority that spends so much time on wedge issues and so much time trying to divide us instead of doing the real work of the people and dealing with kitchen table issues.”
“And of course there are people who turn on the national news every night and simply cannot believe what they see: chaos on our streets and an out-of-control regime in Washington, D.C., that seems to be pouring gasoline on the fire every day,” Pushkin said.
Democrats outnumber Republicans in West Virginia’s legislature. They only make up 9 of them 100 members in the house and 2 of the 34-member Senate. During the 2024 general election 49 Senate and House races – mostly with Republican candidates – were held unopposed.
In addition to candidates for the state legislature, Democrats have candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. According to the party, 45 Democrats are running for district-level positions.
Pushkin said Democrats have worked to augment the number of their county-level committees, which has helped in recruiting candidates. Only a few counties do not have vigorous committees, he said.
“This makes it much easier to work with people at the local level to identify and recruit the best candidates for this district,” Pushkin said. “You know, sitting here in Charleston, I’m not going to know who the best candidate is for Mingo County, but I have a great chair down in Mingo County who does. So it’s really taken me years to work on this.”
Saturday was the deadline for 2026 candidates to submit them to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office or to stamp their certificates. The number of candidates may augment as the Secretary of State’s Office receives mailed certificates, Pushkin noted.
According to the Democratic Party, at least 60 women are among the candidates running as Democrats for the legislature this year. With 11 women currently in the House of Representatives and four in the Senate, West Virginia has one of the lowest percentages Number of female MPs in the country.
In a press release, Del said. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, said the state’s policies often reflect the imbalance.
“We are excited to break a new record for the number of women on the ballot this year,” Young said. “We look forward to electing more women from across the Mountain State to be a voice in the House and State Senate.
In a statement Monday, state Republican Party Chairman Josh Holstein, a delegate from Boone County, said the GOP in West Virginia is “stronger than ever.”
“Month after month, hundreds more West Virginians choose to join the Republican Party because they believe in our vision for the future of this state,” Holstein said. “We believe West Virginia voters will continue to reward our Republican candidates who focus on results, creating jobs, strengthening our communities and defending our values in West Virginia.”
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