Sen. Mike Woelfel, D-Cabell, speaks to his fellow senators on April 11, 2025. He said on Wednesday, January 7, 2025 that he would not run for re-election. (Photo by Will Price/West Virginia Legislative Photography)
West Virginia Sen. Mike Woelfel, a Democrat who represents Cabell County, will not run for re-election this year, he said Wednesday.
Woelfel, an attorney, was first elected to the Senate in 2014. He is in his third term as a senator.
“I never really intended to stay there for 12 years,” he told West Virginia Watch. “I thought maybe a semester or two at most. I think it’s just time to turn the page and give someone else a chance. So that motivated me to just make a decision.”
During some legislative sessions, Woelfel introduced bills that would limit deadlines for lawmakers, but the bills were not implemented, he said. He said Wednesday he plans to reintroduce the legislation next week. The 60-day legislative session begins January 14th.
“I just feel like you shouldn’t stay there forever,” Woelfel said.
Woelfel is the Democratic minority leader. He is one of only two members of his party in the 34-member Senate.
In his last session, Woelfel said he hoped lawmakers would pass legislation aimed at improving West Virginia’s overwhelmed foster care system. About 6,000 children are in foster care in the state.
“As we both know, these children are in foster care through no fault of their own,” he said. “And we failed them. The system is broken. I expect we will put a lot of effort into legislation to fix this system.”
Woelfel said the state Democratic Party is in the process of finding a Democrat for the district.
Woelfel’s announcement was first published by West Virginia MetroNews.
In the Republican race, Chris Miller, a West Virginia businessman who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2024, ran said WSAZ on Wednesday He would run for the District 5 seat this year. Miller could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
“I saw that after my announcement was published on MetroNews, another article was published on WSAZ,” Woelfel said. “I expect there will be multiple people vying for this open Senate seat, so it doesn’t surprise me that Chris Miller is quickly stepping in.”
Miller is the son of U.S. Rep. Carol Miller, R-W.Va. He owns several car dealerships in the region. He lost to the current governor. Patrick Morrisey in the 2024 primaries.
The official registration period for candidates begins on Monday and lasts until the end of the month.
The The primary election will take place on May 12th and the general election takes place on November 3rd.
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- 6:47 p.mEditor’s NoteL This story has been updated to correct that Woelfel is the Senate minority leader and to add a comment from Woelfel.
