How To Use This Guide

1. Pick the issues you care about. Rank the two or three that matter most to you, such as rural health care, coal and energy jobs, Medicaid and food assistance or gas prices.
2. Find which office handles them. The U.S. House and U.S. Senate write federal law and set the federal budget, including Medicare, Medicaid, food assistance and energy policy, and the Senate also confirms federal judges and approves treaties. The statewide amendment would change who the West Virginia Constitution says may vote.
3. Compare the candidates. Read where each candidate stands on your top issues, then read the candidates’ own words, endorsements and who funds each campaign.

The U.S. House Race

What This Office Does

U.S. House members serve two-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. All bills that raise taxes must start in the House. The 1st District covers 28 counties across southern and central West Virginia, including Cabell, Kanawha, Mercer and Raleigh, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail’s House race report. ​

West Virginia dropped from three House seats to two after the 2020 census. The district uses the same lines as in 2022 and 2024, under the map that Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), then the governor, signed in October 2021, according to Ballotpedia’s West Virginia redistricting page. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rate the race Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates it Safe Republican, according to Ballotpedia’s race overview.

Candidates In Brief

Republican Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) of Huntington is seeking a fifth term. Miller served in the West Virginia House of Delegates for more than a decade before winning the old 3rd District in 2018, and Miller’s family runs the Dutch Miller auto dealership chain, according to the Gazette-Mail. Miller won the 1st District in 2024 with 66.4% of the vote and won the Tuesday, May 12 Republican primary with 72.0% to 28.0% for Larry Jackson.

Democrat Vince George of South Charleston is a retired public policy analyst and former teacher, social worker and eligibility examiner for federal and state programs, according to George’s Ballotpedia profile. In the early 2000s, George worked to win ballot status for the Mountain Party, according to West Virginia Watch’s primary report. George won the May 12 Democratic primary with 53.0% of the vote to 47.0% for Brit Aguirre.

Constitution Party nominee Belinda Fox-Spencer of Peterstown in Monroe County is a sonographer and construction company owner. Fox-Spencer says Fox-Spencer has 22 years of experience in health care and 32 years in small business, according to Ballotpedia.

Where They Stand

Health care and the 2025 tax and spending law. Miller voted for the law and has said it will bring economic relief to families and small businesses, according to the Gazette-Mail. Miller has promoted bills to help rural hospitals fund new residency programs for doctors, according to WVVA’s report on a February hearing. George wants “a Medicare-for-All option” and says the law’s “biggest cuts will take effect right after this year’s election,” according to George’s campaign website.

Coal and energy. Miller’s campaign promises to “protect our energy industries” and lists “Protecting Coal & Gas” as a priority, according to Miller’s campaign website. George says George is “pro-worker and pro-miner, but I’m also firmly anti-exploitation” and backs “a free market that allows renewable energy to expand in West Virginia,” according to George’s issues page. Fox-Spencer lists energy independence among the campaign’s top three messages.

Gas prices and costs. Fox-Spencer would “introduce legislation to cut the federal gasoline tax, giving West Virginians relief at the pump.” Miller says the economy must be rebuilt from “Joe Biden’s disastrous inflation.” George wants to double the minimum wage and fully fund SNAP, Social Security and veterans’ benefits.

Data centers. George wants local communities to “have the final say on whether a data center moves in next door.” Fox-Spencer says “I do not support a blanket moratorium on building or upgrading artificial intelligence data centers” but wants public notice and hearings before projects move ahead.

Immigration. Miller’s campaign says Miller will “secure our border.” George says “Immigration enforcement is important” but that “ICE is violating people’s rights, engaging in federal overreach.”

Abortion, guns and war spending. Miller and Fox-Spencer oppose abortion and list defending the Second Amendment as a priority. George would end U.S. involvement in “endless/forever wars” and spend the money at home, according to George’s Ballotpedia survey.

In Their Own Words

Carol Miller, at a Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 24:

“Rural health care, I can’t scream it loudly enough, how important rural health care is to my state and many states.”

Vince George, on George’s campaign website:

“Coal companies shouldn’t get to turn our drinking water brown and walk away with little to no consequences.”

Belinda Fox-Spencer, to the Gazette-Mail:

“Congress must be willing to challenge overreach even when it comes from its own party.”

Questionnaires And Debates

George and Fox-Spencer completed Ballotpedia’s 2026 Candidate Connection survey, and Miller did not. Fox-Spencer answered all three of the Gazette-Mail’s candidate questions, while the Miller and George campaigns did not respond.

Endorsements

Before the primary, President Donald Trump endorsed Miller, according to AllCiv’s endorsement data, and Miller’s campaign calls Miller “the only candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump.” AllCiv’s data also lists the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Maggie’s List and ClearPath as backing Miller before the primary.

AllCiv’s endorsement data lists Progressive Democrats of America West Virginia as backing George after the primary.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports for the 2026 cycle through Wednesday, Oct. 14, as compiled by Ballotpedia:

  • Miller reported raising $2,036,643 and spending $1,771,149, with $505,035 on hand.
  • George reported raising $311,586 and spending $133,982, with $3,138 on hand. George loaned the campaign $240,000, according to West Virginia Watch.
  • Fox-Spencer has not reported any fundraising.

AllCiv’s West Virginia 1st District race page shows about $28,000 in outside spending in the race. About $25,600 of it supported Miller and $1,077 opposed Miller, according to Ballotpedia’s FEC data. Donors who give more than $200 in a cycle are listed by name in FEC filings, while smaller gifts are reported only as a lump total.

The Incumbent’s Record

Miller serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax and trade law, and on its Health and Trade subcommittees, according to AllCiv. This Congress, Miller has voted in 609 of 645 roll call votes and voted against most Republicans 2 times out of 572, according to AllCiv’s vote data. Miller has cosponsored 259 bills, and the 27 bills Miller introduced drew 269 cosponsors, with none becoming law.

Miller voted for the 2025 tax and spending law, which passed the House 218 to 214 on Thursday, July 3, 2025, according to the House clerk’s roll call. George says Miller “has been unresponsive to constituents during her seven years as a U.S. House member.”

Challengers’ Records

George and Fox-Spencer have not held public office. This is George’s first run for federal office, according to West Virginia Watch.

The U.S. Senate Race

What This Office Does

U.S. senators serve six-year terms and vote on every federal law and the federal budget. The Senate also confirms presidential nominees, including federal judges and Cabinet members, and approves treaties. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rate the race Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates it Safe Republican, according to Ballotpedia’s Senate race overview.

Candidates In Brief

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) of Charleston is seeking a third term. Capito served seven terms in the U.S. House before winning the Senate seat in 2014 and was reelected in 2020, according to WTOV’s Senate race report. Capito won the May 12 Republican primary with 66.5% of the vote to 18.9% for Tom Willis.

Democrat Rachel Fetty Anderson of Morgantown is a public interest attorney, a mother of four and a former Morgantown City Council member, according to WTOV. Fetty Anderson earned a law degree from the University of Iowa in 1999, according to Fetty Anderson’s Ballotpedia profile. Fetty Anderson won the May 12 Democratic primary with 33.2% of the vote to 27.0% for Jeffrey Kessler.

Constitution Party nominee S. Marshall Wilson of Hedgesville is a retired Army infantry officer who served in the House of Delegates as a Republican from 2016 to 2020, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Rio Phillips, a Charleston community organizer, is running as a write-in candidate after leaving the Democratic Party following the primary, according to Ballotpedia. Phillips’ name will be posted at polling places but not printed on the ballot.

Where They Stand

The 2025 tax and spending law. Capito says “the working families tax cut is probably going to have the biggest impact on families” and points to the child tax credit and permanent small business tax relief. Capito says the goal for SNAP is to “eliminate fraud, eliminate any kind of abuse,” according to WVVA’s Senate race report. Capito says the expanded health insurance subsidies that lapsed “were never intended to be permanent,” according to WV MetroNews. Fetty Anderson says many people who benefit from the tips tax break “lost their health insurance completely” when they tried to get Medicaid or Affordable Care Act coverage.

War, fuel prices and Iran. Capito urged the president to “bring the Iranian situation to a close” and says more domestic energy production and faster permitting could lower prices at the pump. Fetty Anderson says “One hundred percent of the rise in diesel prices over the past year is related to the war and tariffs.” Wilson says “We are in an undeclared war in the Middle East” and wants to abolish federal fuel taxes, saying “That would change our economy vastly if we simply got rid of fuel taxes.”

Energy and the environment. Capito chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, supports the administration’s repeal of carbon pollution standards for power plants and has brokered a pending permitting deal to speed transmission and grid projects, according to the Gazette-Mail. Fetty Anderson supports a moratorium on hyperscale data centers to “give our governments time to protect our air, water and communities.”

Federal spending and executive power. Wilson calls large omnibus spending bills “really corrupt” and would not support raising the debt ceiling without real cuts. Fetty Anderson says “Congress must act to return all Constitutional powers to the people” and wants Congress to “address blatant corruption in the Supreme Court.”

Health care, abortion and other priorities. Phillips supports Medicare for All, clean water for every West Virginian and legalizing cannabis. Wilson says there is no right to abortion and favors repealing the Patriot Act, according to the Gazette-Mail.

In Their Own Words

Shelley Moore Capito, to WV MetroNews:

“That’s important to me and I want to uplift people, keep more young people in the state.”

Rachel Fetty Anderson, to WTOV:

“West Virginia’s families are really being left behind, just struggling on unimaginable levels.”

S. Marshall Wilson, to WTOV:

“I’ve rejected that entire system and I’m holding fast to the Constitution.”

Rio Phillips, in Ballotpedia’s candidate survey:

“Every West Virginian deserves consistent, quality healthcare as a human right.”

Questionnaires And Debates

Fetty Anderson and Phillips completed Ballotpedia’s 2026 Candidate Connection survey, and Capito and Wilson did not. Fetty Anderson answered the Gazette-Mail’s candidate questions, and the Capito and Wilson campaigns did not respond. Fetty Anderson told WVVA that “If she wants to serve the people of West Virginia, she has to come to West Virginia, she has to talk to voters.”

Endorsements

Before the primary, Trump gave Capito a “complete and total endorsement” on Friday, May 16, 2025, according to WBOY’s report, posted by Capito’s office. Also before the primary, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsed Capito on Friday, April 24, and the West Virginia Chamber PAC endorsed Capito. AllCiv’s endorsement data also lists Justice, Miller and Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV) among Capito’s backers.

AllCiv’s endorsement data lists Vote Common Good, the National Organization for Women PAC and the Feminist Majority Foundation PAC among Fetty Anderson’s backers.

Who Is Funding Them

These figures come from FEC reports for the 2026 cycle, as compiled by Ballotpedia:

  • Capito reported raising $7,314,563 and spending $6,714,017, with $3,071,076 on hand, through Oct. 14.
  • Fetty Anderson reported raising $164,558 and spending $135,873, with $35,681 on hand, through Oct. 14. AllCiv also lists $25,000 in campaign debt.
  • Wilson reported raising $65,287 and spending $64,037, with $1,250 on hand, through Oct. 14.
  • Phillips reported raising $13,776 and spending $13,624, with $152 on hand, through Wednesday, April 22.

AllCiv’s West Virginia U.S. Senate race page shows $338,000 in outside spending in the race, all of it supporting Capito, according to Ballotpedia’s FEC data.

The Incumbent’s Record

Capito chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, according to AllCiv. Capito also chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee, according to WTOV. This Congress, Capito has voted in 852 of 869 roll call votes and voted against most Republicans 6 times out of 841, according to AllCiv’s vote data. Capito has cosponsored 326 bills, and the 26 bills Capito sponsored drew 156 cosponsors.

Capito voted for the 2025 tax and spending law, according to the Gazette-Mail. Supporters say the law provides tax relief and expands the child tax credit, and critics say it makes deep cuts to health care and food assistance.

Challengers’ Records

Fetty Anderson served on the Morgantown City Council. Wilson served two terms in the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 60 from 2016 to 2020, according to Wilson’s Ballotpedia profile). Phillips has not held public office.

Scorecards Readers Can Check

Miller and Capito both have congressional records that interest groups rate. Each group picks its own set of votes, so the scores measure different things:

Also On Your Ballot

Every West Virginia voter will see one proposed constitutional amendment, along with state legislative and local races. Sample ballots for all 55 counties are on the Secretary of State’s GoVoteWV site.

Amendment 1: Citizenship Requirement to Vote in West Virginia Elections. The ballot summary says the amendment “provides that in all elections held in West Virginia only citizens of the United States who are citizens of this state are qualified to vote,” according to the Wood County sample ballot. State law already bars people who are not U.S. citizens from voting, and the amendment would add that rule to the constitution, according to West Virginia Watch’s Amendment 1 report. A Yes vote adds the requirement to the constitution, and a No vote leaves the constitution as it is. The amendment needs more than 50% of the vote to pass.

The Legislature placed the amendment on the ballot through Senate Joint Resolution 9. The House approved an amended version 97 to 0 on Friday, March 13, according to the House roll call, and the Senate gave final approval 34 to 0 on Saturday, March 14, according to the Senate roll call.

Lead sponsor State Sen. Patricia Rucker (R-Jefferson) says “This proposed amendment would ensure that no future Legislature could just simply change the election law with only a bill.” The League of Women Voters of West Virginiacalls the amendment “completely unnecessary.” Julie Archer of West Virginia Citizen Action Group says it “scapegoats our immigrant neighbors to sow mistrust in our election results.”

Before You Go

Today

  • Election Day is today, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the Secretary of State’s elections FAQ. Find your polling place on GoVoteWV.
  • ID: This is the first statewide general election under West Virginia’s new photo ID law, according to West Virginia Watch’s early voting report. Accepted IDs include a driver’s license or state ID, a U.S. passport, a government employee photo ID, a West Virginia student ID, a military ID and a photo voter registration card. Without ID, you can vote a provisional ballot, and it will count if you show your ID at your county clerk’s office before the canvass.
  • Mail ballots must be postmarked by today and reach your county clerk by the start of the canvass.
  • Questions: Call the Secretary of State’s elections division at 304-558-6000 or 866-767-8683, or call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

Deadlines That Have Passed

  • Registration closed Tuesday, Oct. 13, 21 days before the election.
  • Early voting ran from Wednesday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Oct. 31.
  • Absentee ballot applications were due to county clerks by Wednesday, Oct. 28.
  • Hand-delivered absentee ballots were due to your county clerk by Monday, Nov. 2.

Sources

AllCiv Profiles and Race Pages

Official Records

Candidate Statements and Questionnaires

News

Ballot Measures

Endorsements

Scorecards

Voting Information

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