# Shelley Moore Capito Two-term Republican senator from West Virginia, serving since 2015 after seven terms in the U.S. House (WV-02, 2001–2015). Daughter of three-term West Virginia Governor Arch Moore Jr. (R). Currently chairs Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Announced her third-term bid in December 2025. ## Career highlights - First elected to Senate 2014, defeating Democrat Natalie Tennant; flipped the seat held by Jay Rockefeller (retired) - Re-elected 2020 with 70% against Paula Jean Swearengin - Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee (119th Congress) - Long tenure on Appropriations; key player in infrastructure and energy policy ## 2026 cycle Announced re-election December 2025; filed paperwork January 2026. Faces a six-way Republican primary May 12 in which state Sen. Tom Willis (R-Berkeley) is the only challenger with any base. Capito is heavily favored. The general is a Solid R formality. See [[WV-Sen-2026]] for full race context. ## Ideological positioning - Institutional Republican with a constituent-services-heavy brand; not a MAGA-movement figure - Votes with Trump on most issues but has broken on specific nominations (voted against [[Matt Gaetz]] for AG in 2024 before Gaetz withdrew; complicated record on other Trump Cabinet nominees) - Strong alignment with coal, natural gas, and pipeline interests through EPW chairmanship - Known for working across the aisle on infrastructure — a signer of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure deal ## Related - [[WV-Sen-2026]] - [[MAGA]] — frame for the distance between Capito and the dominant GOP current