Shelley Moore Capito✓ Incumbent
Backs making 2017 tax cuts permanent; generally supports tariffs.
- Voted for the 2025 law extending 2017 tax cuts and supports making them permanent.
- Generally supports Trump’s tariffs to boost manufacturing.
- After a Supreme Court ruling against the tariffs’ legal basis, only addressed whether revenue must be refunded, not the policy itself.
- Attributes falling inflation to current policies while acknowledging WV households face high gas and grocery prices; calls for more domestic energy production.
Voted for the 2025 law changing Medicaid; backs rural hospital funding.
- Voted for the 2025 tax and spending law that changed Medicaid rules and ACA-related subsidies.
- Points to a $50 billion rural hospital program in that law, which sent about $199.5 million to West Virginia, and calls critics’ $1 billion rural-hospital loss estimate "overstated."
- Supports regulating pharmacy benefit managers and drug-price transparency, but opposes government-set drug prices.
Context: An independent analysis projects about 60,000 West Virginians could lose Medicaid coverage under the law.
Backs the 2026 Iran strikes and a strong pro-Israel stance.
- Supports the 2026 U.S./Israeli military strikes on Iran and opposes congressional efforts to limit presidential war powers over the conflict.
- Strong, consistent supporter of Israel; says she backs an eventual two-state solution with Palestinians.
Context: Her 2026 campaign received over $482,000 from AIPAC’s political action committee.
Backs continued federal K-12 funding; opposes broad loan forgiveness.
- Supports continuing federal K-12 funding (Title I, special education, career/technical grants) and opposes cuts to federal charter school funding.
- Opposes broad federal student loan forgiveness plans.
- Chairs the Senate subcommittee overseeing education funding; pushed to fix FAFSA rollout problems.
No public position found on eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
Context: Eliminating the Department of Education is a live national debate.
Favors voluntary standards over broad AI regulation.
- Favors light-touch, voluntary standards over broad AI regulation.
- Co-sponsors a bill directing federal safety guidelines for AI evaluators.
- Co-sponsors a bipartisan bill banning AI voice/image impersonation used for scams.
No public position found on AI’s effect on jobs, workforce policy.
Votes against abortion rights; once called herself "pro-choice."
- Has a consistent anti-abortion-rights voting record (opposing federal funding for abortion, supporting related restrictions), per an advocacy group’s scorecard.
- Has described herself as "pro-choice" in the past; in 2025 she urged reinstating "life-affirming" federal policies.
Context: Sources note this tension is unresolved. Her 2026 primary opponent called it a "flip-flop"; that is his characterization, not an independently confirmed fact.
Voted to confirm her son as U.S. Attorney; watchdog criticized timing.
- Voted to confirm her son as U.S. Attorney for southern West Virginia the same day she voted for the 2025 tax and spending law.
- Her office says "the ethics are clear on this vote."
No public position found on a ban on stock trading by members of Congress.
Context: Ethics watchdog CREW criticized the timing as an appearance concern; no formal Senate ethics complaint is known to have been filed.
Vote, bill or action Statement or pledge Unverified claim
Republican U.S. Senator since 2015, seeking a third term in 2026. Chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee; fourth-ranking Senate Republican leader. Previously served in the WV House of Delegates (1996–2000) and U.S. House (2001–2015). Daughter of former Gov. Arch Moore; her son is now a U.S. Attorney. Degrees from Duke and University of Virginia.
President Donald Trump endorsed her reelection. Endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (April 2026), NFIB West Virginia, representing small businesses (March 2026), and GO-WV, the Gas & Oil Association of West Virginia (March 2026). Holds a lifetime "A" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund
Sources: West Virginia Watch, Charleston Gazette-Mail, Mountain State Spotlight, The Intelligencer, capito.senate.gov, Ballotpedia, FEC.gov
Running in: U.S. Senate (2026 General Election)