Who's In the Race

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) faces Democrat Rachel Fetty Anderson in the Nov. 3 general election for West Virginia's U.S. Senate seat. ​

Capito has served in the Senate since 2015 and previously represented West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015. She won the Republican primary with about 66 percent of the vote over runner-up Tom Willis.

Anderson is a public-interest attorney and former Morgantown City Council member who served on the council from 2017 to 2021. She won the Democratic primary with about 33 percent of the vote over runner-up Jeff Kessler.

Wilson is a U.S. Army veteran and former member of the West Virginia House of Delegates running on the Constitution Party line.

What They Stand For

Capito has said every West Virginian and American deserves access to "affordable, quality health care," highlighting rural health-care initiatives and community health centers, according to her Senate website. She has also supported:

  • Broadband investment, which she calls "absolutely critical" for developing businesses, improving education and sharing ideas
  • Veterans, transportation and infrastructure, and fighting the opioid epidemic, which her Senate website lists as priorities

Anderson has argued that "privatization of utilities to accommodate donors jeopardizes the security of the American people, the environment, and our economy," according to her campaign website. Her campaign also focuses on:

  • Agriculture
  • Campaign funding
  • Children and families
  • Data centers
  • The economy

Wilson describes himself as standing for "liberty, natural law, and our Constitution," according to his campaign website.

The Money Behind the Race

Federal Election Commission filings show Capito raised about $6.5 million through June 30 and had about $4.4 million in the bank. Anderson raised about $50,000 through June 30 and had about $22,000 cash on hand.

Outside groups had spent about $338,000 in the race as of Oct. 13, with about $337,585 supporting Republican Capito.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race Solid Republican as of Oct. 12. Sabato's Crystal Ball rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 9. Inside Elections rated it Solid Republican as of Oct. 2.

On Kalshi, traders gave Republicans, whose nominee is Capito, a 99% chance of winning as of Oct. 13, while Democrats, whose nominee is Anderson, stood at 1%.

Republican Jim Justice won the 2024 West Virginia U.S. Senate race with 68.75 percent of the vote. Republicans won both of West Virginia's two U.S. House seats in 2022. Donald Trump carried West Virginia in the 2024 presidential election with about 70 percent of the vote.

West Virginia's voter-registration deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 13. Mail-ballot applications are due by Wednesday, Oct. 28. Early voting runs Wednesday, Oct. 21, through Saturday, Oct. 31; weekday hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday hours on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31 are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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