West Virginia state Sen. Tom Willis, R-Berkeley, (right), is challenging Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., (left) in the May 12, 2026 Republican primary. (Photos from Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s website and West Virginia Legislative Photography)
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, RW.Va., is seeking re-election stick to their role as a unit of the most powerful senators in Washington, DC, with close ties to President Donald Trump.
“President Trump supported me because he knows I will never stop advocating for West Virginia in the U.S. Senate,” Capito said in a statement to West Virginia Watch.
In the U.S. Senate primary, Capito faced five challengers, including current Sen. Tom Willis, R-Berkeley. His challenge has provided further evidence of fissures within the state’s GOP this primary cycle, and elected officials have chosen sides in the race.
Willis, who has been traveling the state on the campaign trail, said, “The main theme I’m hearing across the state is that it’s time for a change and people are just tired of career politics and the same thing isn’t getting results for West Virginia.”
“The Republican base is looking for someone who will actually stand by the Republican platform and vote for our West Virginia, traditional family values and conservative values,” Willis said in a telephone interview.
According to the Federal Election Commission, Capito, 72, has significantly outspent her opponents with more than $4 million in cash as of April 22 records.
She spent the last week travel the state in a final push before Election Day, May 12th. Early voting ended Saturday with one Higher voter turnout than expected across the Mountain State.
Capito was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 – a red flag – and is the first woman to hold the position in the state. She previously served several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the daughter of former West Virginia Governor Arch Moore.
“Our campaign’s message to West Virginians has been clear from the start: I have never been better positioned to continue to advocate for our state through my leadership roles and committee chairs, and our people can always count on me to fight for the issues that matter most to us,” Capito said. “West Virginians have made clear their need to support working families and small business tax cuts, making daily living more affordable, the need to continue investing in energy sources in West Virginia, the importance of improving our state’s infrastructure, and the need to keep our communities safe.”
She has been recommended by West Virginians for Life and has a lifetime rating of “A.” from the National Rifle Association.
Capito is fourth in the Republican Senate majority leadership and serves as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
“Every stop I make, I kind of remind everyone of the relationship we’ve had over the years and how I know local issues,” Capito recently told The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. “I think it’s important to remind everyone of the relationship, to talk about supporting President Trump and my conservative record and how I want to come back. Because I’m in a position now where I’m chairing a committee and chairing subcommittees and being on the leadership team where I could really be more influential than ever before.”
This was a special one controversial high season in West Virginia for Republicans and the party have closed their area code For the first time since the 1980s, only Republicans were registered. Capito has used her support to get involved in several contentious state House races. Their decisions often clashed with those of Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
She was supported by more than a dozen state senators, while Willis was publicly supported by only a few. He was endorsed by Senate President Randy Smith.
“West Virginians have also made it clear that they are fed up with the dishonest rhetoric and personal attacks in this year’s primary election,” Capito said. “Our people are hard-working, honest and respectful, and they deserve the same character from those who ask for their vote. You will always find that in me as we continue our positive campaign about the successes we have achieved for West Virginia and the work that still lies ahead.”
Willis, 53, has yet to complete his first four-year term in the state Senate he acts as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is a lawyer, businessman and US Army Special Forces Green Beret.
According to the FEC, he has about $57,000 in cash SubmissionsAs of April 22nd.
He has a long list of reasons why he thinks Capito didn’t vote for West Virginia’s interests, including her Vote to approve funding for the country’s Afghan refugee resettlement program. He also accused her of supporting abortion by approving funding for Planned Parenthood, a women’s health organization, and noted that insider trading was being investigated in connection with her role in the Senate.
Willis continued: “When the Big Beautiful Bill negotiations were going on, (Capito) was negotiating for her son (Moore Capito) Appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern Districtand Trump got their support for the Big Beautiful Bill.”
“It was very frustrating because some of the senators at the time were actually negotiating things for their states and getting some exemptions from the big, beautiful bill for their states,” he said. “Moreover, people want a true conservative and someone who will work to fix our infrastructure.”
Willis pointed to a Senate The invoice He co-sponsored this year to make it harder for utilities to raise rates. The measure failed to make it through the House of Representatives. He also promoted high-profile measures to outsource the state care system to a private company And Reduce regulations for parents and guardians who homeschool.
He is supported by the West Virginia Citizens Defense League and Gun Owners of America. Willis also has an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association.
Before Election Day, Wills said he was confident. He defeated incumbent former Senate President and Lieutenant Governor Craig Blair a large surprise two years ago.
“It really just comes down to can their name recognition surpass the people learning more about me and the issues and what I bring to the table? I think people, if they do a side-by-side comparison, they’re coming to Team Tom Willis,” he said.
Alexander Gaaserud from Parkersburg, Bryan McKinney by Inwood, Janet McNulty from Martinsburg and David Purkey from Morgantown are also on the ballot in the Republican primary, challenging Capito.
Five Democratic candidates are vying to win the Democratic nomination in this election in hopes of winning the U.S. Senate seat. The last Democratic candidate to hold the seat was Jay Rockefeller, who retired in 2014.
Polling stations will be open statewide on Tuesday from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
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