Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, announced plans Tuesday to run for state Senate in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Del. John Williams’ live stream)
John WilliamsA Democrat who represents Monongalia County in the West Virginia House of Delegates will run for a seat in the state Senate in 2026, he announced Tuesday.
Williams livestreamed the announcement He made the choice to run for the 13th District at his kitchen table. That decision, he said, underscores his focus on the “kitchen table issues” facing West Virginia families: cost of living, child care, housing costs, health care costs and other financial decisions families make.
“Ultimately, most decisions that matter to people are made not at the Capitol, but at the kitchen table,” Williams said in a news release. “Families are trying to figure out how to afford food, child care, housing, health care and utilities. My campaign is about meeting people where they actually live – not just geographically, but economically.”
Williams, a financial advisor from Morgantown, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2016. The 2026 legislative session will be his tenth as a member of the House of Representatives.
His decision to run for Senate is made by the Democratic Party is planning an aggressive push to win seats in state legislatures across the country. Democrats currently have only two members in the 34-member Senate and nine in the 100-member House of Representatives.
The 13th Senate District includes parts of Marion and Monongalia counties and is currently represented by Republican Sen. Mike Oliverio, a longtime lawmaker and financial adviser from Morgantown. In the last election in 2022, he narrowly defeated the Democratic candidate Barbara Fleischauer and moved in 13,459 votes to Fleischauer’s 13,297, according to the Dominion Post report.
Oliverio applied as a preliminary candidate and announced his intention to run for re-election in 2026.
“I love this job and I love serving the people of Monongalia and Marion counties in District 13 as a member of the State Senate.” he wrote on Facebook. “I humbly ask for your vote in the May 2026 primary election and hopefully again in the November general election. I look forward to a productive session in the Senate next January to continue fighting for an even better West Virginia.”
The official candidate Registration deadline for the 2026 elections from January 12th to 31st. As of Tuesday, no other preliminary candidates were listed for the seat.
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