The Winner

If you live in West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) will keep representing you after winning a second term. The Associated Press called the race for Moore at 9:22 p.m. Eastern time on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3. ​

Moore has 144,056 votes (59.4%) to 98,573 (40.6%) for Democrat Ace Parsi, a margin of about 19 points, with an estimated 99% of votes counted. Parsi conceded on election night, West Virginia Watch reported.

The Race

Parsi, who was born in Iran and came to the U.S. as a child, works as an advocate for public education, according to West Virginia Public Broadcasting. He narrowly won a three-way Democratic primary on May 12 with 39.8%, while Moore had no primary opponent, according to Ballotpedia’s race page. Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the race Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican.

Moore’s margin shrank sharply from 2024, when the former state treasurer won the open seat over Democrat Steven Wendelin by about 42 points, 70.8% to 29.2%. The district covers 27 counties across northern West Virginia, including the Northern and Eastern panhandles, Morgantown and Parkersburg, and its lines did not change for this election.

About 901,300 people live in the district, and residents are 89.3% white, 3% Black, 2.9% Hispanic and 0.9% Asian. The median household income is $64,800, and the median age is 42. Of adults, 26.1% hold at least a bachelor’s degree, unemployment is 5.4% and 14.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

What’s Next

Moore’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, and he will serve in the House minority after Democrats won control of the chamber. He is a cosponsor of the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, which would require state utility regulators to consider making large data centers pay for the power plant and grid upgrades needed to serve them.

“That cost should always be on the companies,” Moore said of the upgrades, according to his office. The bill was sent to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in June, and it dies if it doesn’t pass before the current Congress ends Jan. 3.

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