Capito seeks reelection to US Senate, faces challenge from state Sen. Willis in closed GOP primary

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is seeking re-election to hold on to her role as one of the most powerful Senators in Washington, D.C., with close ties to President Donald Trump.

“President Trump has endorsed me because he knows I’ll never stop advocating for West Virginia in the U.S. Senate,” Capito said in a statement to West Virginia Watch.

In the U.S. Senate primary, Capito faced five challengers, including current state Sen. Tom Willis, R-Berkeley. His challenge has added evidence of fractures within the state’s GOP this primary cycle, and elected officials have picked sides in the race. 

Willis, who has toured the state on the campaign trail, said, “The major theme that I hear all over the state is it’s time for a change, and folks are just just tired of career politicians and the same old, same old are not producing results for West Virginia.”

“The Republican base is looking for someone that is going to actually stand by the Republican platform and vote for our West Virginia, traditional family values, conservative values,” Willis said in a phone interview. 

Capito, 72, has easily out-raised her opponents with more than $4 million in cash on hand as of April 22, according to Federal Election Commission records. 

She spent the last week touring the state in a final push before Election Day, May 12. Early voting ended Saturday with a higher-than-expected turnout across the Mountain State. 

Capito was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 — flipping it to red — and is the first woman to hold the position in the state. She previously served several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the daughter of former West Virginia Gov. Arch Moore.

“Our campaign’s message to West Virginians has been straightforward from the beginning: I’ve never been in a better position to continue delivering for our state through my leadership positions and committee chairmanships, and our people can always count on me to fight for the issues most important to us,” Capito said. “West Virginians have been clear about their support for working families and small business tax cuts, making every day life more affordable, the need to continue investing in West Virginia energy sources, the importance of improving our state’s infrastructure, and the need to keep our communities safe.”

She has been endorsed by West Virginians for Life and has a lifetime rating of an “A” from the National Rifle Association. 

Capito is fourth in the Senate Republican majority leadership and serves as chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

“Every stop I make, I kind of remind everybody the relationship that we’ve had over the years and how I know local issues,” Capito recently told The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. “I think it’s important to remind everybody about the relationship, talk about President Trump’s endorsement and my conservative record, and how I want to go back. Because I’m in a position now where I’m chairman of (a) committee, chairman of subcommittees, and I’m on the leadership team, where I really could be more influential than ever.”

This has been a particularly contentious primary season in West Virginia for Republicans, and the party closed their primary to only registered Republicans for the first time since the 1980s. Capito has weighed in with her endorsements in multiple contentious statehouse races. Her picks have often clashed with those backed by Gov. Patrick Morrisey. 

She has been endorsed by more than a dozen state senators, while fewer publicly endorsed Willis. He was endorsed by Senate President Randy Smith.

“West Virginians have also been clear that they’re tired of the dishonest rhetoric and personal attacks in this year’s primary,” Capito said. “Our people are hardworking, honest and respectful, and they deserve the same character from those asking for their vote. They will always find that with me as we continue our positive campaign about the successes we have accomplished for West Virginia and the work still ahead of us.”

Willis, 53, is not yet through his first four-year term in the state Senate, where he serves as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He is an attorney, a businessman and U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret.

He has around $57,000 in cash on hand, according to FEC filings, as of April 22.

He has a laundry list of reasons why he feels Capito has not voted for West Virginia’ s best interests, including her vote to approve funding for the country’s Afghan Refugee Resettlement Program. He also accused her of supporting abortion through approving funding for Planned Parenthood, a women’s health organization, and noted scrutiny over insider trading related to her role in the Senate. 

Willis continued, “When negotiations were going on for the Big Beautiful Bill, (Capito) negotiated to have her son (Moore Capito) appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District, and Trump got her support for the Big Beautiful Bill.”

“It was very frustrating, because some of the senators during that time actually negotiated for things for their state, and got some carve outs from the Big, Beautiful Bill for their states,” he said. “In addition to that, folks want a true conservative, and they want someone that’s going to work to fix our infrastructure.”

Willis pointed to a Senate bill he co-sponsored this year to make it more challenging for utility companies to raise rates; the measure failed to make it through the House of Delegates. He also sponsored high-profile measures to offload the state’s foster care system to a private company and reduce regulations for parents and guardians who homeschool. 

He is endorsed by the West Virginia Citizens Defense League and Gun Owners of America. Willis also has an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association. 

Going into Election Day, Wills said he feels confident. He defeated former Senate president and  lieutenant governor Craig Blair, the incumbent, in a primary upset two years ago. 

“It really just comes down to can her name recognition overcome people learning about me and about the issues and what I bring to the table? I think folks, when they do a side by side comparison, they come over to Team Tom Willis,” he said.

Alexander Gaaserud of Parkersburg, Bryan McKinney of Inwood, Janet McNulty of Martinsburg and David Purkey of Morgantown are also on the ballot in the Republican primary challenging Capito. 

Five Democratic candidates are vying to win the Democratic nomination this election in hopes of flipping the U.S. Senate seat. The last Democratic candidate to hold the seat was Jay Rockefeller, who retired in 2014.

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. statewide on Tuesday.