The west virginia delegation

congressional officials …

West Virginia has a gender-diverse congressional delegation.

Of the four class members, two are male, and two are female.

Three members hold graduate degrees, while none are lawyers, have doctorates, or are physicians. One member is a former governor.

The average tenure for the delegation currently is only two terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2026.

When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)

If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.

• Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of push back on former and now current President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are vital to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. For example, one of the four West Virginia delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.

• Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on critical matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.

• Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.

We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2026 elections today. The overwhelming majority of House members were re-elected in 2024. One of the two United States Senators’ seats is open this season.

Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:

• Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.

• It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.

• Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!

So, would you like to meet these fascinating West Virginians? If so, keep reading on!

what is thomas looking for?

There are no vulnerable races that Thomas will be watching in West Virginia in 2026.

the senators

United states senator shelly moore capito (R)

West Virginia’s senior senator is completing her second term in the U.S. Senate. Senator Capito holds an undergraduate degree from Duke University and a graduate degree from the University of Virginia. Capito is a retired educator who served seven terms in the U.S. House before her Senate terms.  The Senator, who is married and the mother of three, serves on the Appropriations Committee, chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Commerce, Science and Technology Committee, and the Rules and Administration Committee.

Thomas Take: Up for re-election in 2026

Thomas Rank: B

Website

the representatives