By
State
West Virginia
Office / race
U.S. Senate
Party
Republican
Reviewed
October 24, 2026

Career timeline

  1. Entered the U.S. House.Source ↗
  2. Won her first Senate election.Source ↗
  3. Became Environment and Public Works chair.Source ↗

The Republican incumbent

Shelley Moore Capito — credited file portrait
Shelley Moore Capito, official portrait (2015).Photo: Frank Fey, U.S. Senate Photographic Studio · Source · Public domain — U.S. government work

Shelley Moore Capito is seeking reelection to the U.S. Senate from West Virginia. The state’s official sample ballot lists her against Democrat Rachel Fetty Anderson and Constitution Party candidate S. Marshall Wilson. First elected to the Senate in 2014, Capito now asks voters to assess a record that spans state government, the House and Senate leadership.

Sources: West Virginia official November 2026 sample ballot ↗ · Congressional biographical record ↗

Education and early work

Capito grew up in Glen Dale and earned a bachelor’s degree at Duke University followed by a master’s in education at the University of Virginia. Her early professional work involved college counseling and advising students at West Virginia State College. She also directed the Educational Information Center for the state’s Board of Regents, connecting direct student support with higher-education policy.

Sources: Official Senate biography ↗

A political family, her own elections

Capito is the daughter of former Governor Arch Moore Jr., a relationship documented in the congressional directory. Her own elected career began in the West Virginia House of Delegates, where she served from 1997 to 2001. She then represented the state in the U.S. House for fourteen years before winning a Senate seat in 2014.

Sources: Congressional biographical record ↗

A milestone for West Virginia

The United States Senate chamber. Archival institutional context, not a photograph of this candidate.
The United States Senate chamber. Archival institutional context, not presented as a photograph of this candidate’s campaign.Photo: US Senate Photo Studio · Source · Public domain

Capito became the first woman to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate. Her official biography records victories in every county in both 2014 and 2020, with more than seventy percent of the vote in the latter election. Those results describe previous electoral strength; they are historical outcomes rather than a guarantee about the current contest.

Sources: Official Senate biography ↗

Leadership in the current Senate

The United States Capitol with its dome and east-side façade
The east side of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., September 2013. File photograph. Archival context; not a photograph of this candidate or a 2026 campaign event.Photo: Martin Falbisoner · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0

For the 119th Congress, Capito chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Senate Republican Policy Committee. She also serves on Appropriations, Commerce and Rules. The committee biography identifies infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and regulatory policy as priorities, giving her leadership responsibilities particular relevance to a state with extensive transportation needs and an important energy sector.

Sources: Environment and Public Works chair biography ↗

The policy record voters can examine

Voting booths inside a Washington, D.C., polling station
Voting booths at a Washington, D.C., polling station on November 5, 2024. Archival election photograph; not a photograph of survey respondents. Archival context; not a photograph of this candidate or a 2026 campaign event.Photo: oscepa · Source · CC BY-SA 2.0

Her Senate office highlights work on community banks, rural capital, transportation and broadband connectivity. That combination reflects a recurring argument in her career: federal policy should help businesses and communities overcome geographic and infrastructure barriers. In the current race, her long legislative record offers voters concrete votes, committee decisions and funding priorities to weigh alongside campaign promises.

Sources: Official Senate biography ↗ · Environment and Public Works chair biography ↗

Sources & original reportingSource publication or schedule date: Sources reviewed October 24, 2026West Virginia official November 2026 sample ballot ↗Official Senate biography ↗Congressional biographical record ↗Environment and Public Works chair biography ↗West Virginia Public Broadcasting 2026 Senate guide ↗

Prepared with AI assistance. Source-based reporting checked on October 24, 2026. This article does not update automatically. Read our editorial standards.