West Virginia Voters Pick 2026 Nominees as Morrisey Targets GOP Incumbents in 1.2 Million-Voter Primary
Updated
Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 13
West Virginia Voters Pick 2026 Nominees as Morrisey Targets GOP Incumbents in 1.2 Million-Voter Primary
9 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · May 13
West Virginia voters headed to the polls Tuesday to choose nominees for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and state legislature, with Gov. Patrick Morrisey testing his clout by backing challengers against several Republican incumbents.
Morrisey’s intervention set up direct clashes inside the GOP supermajority, including one Senate district race where he opposed incumbent Vince Deeds while Sen. Shelley Moore Capito backed Deeds.
Capito, seeking a third Senate term, faced five Republican challengers but entered with Trump’s endorsement and support from 15 state senators, compared with six senators backing rival Tom Willis.
About 1.2 million voters were registered as of April 23, and roughly 36,000 ballots had already been cast by May 5 after early and absentee voting accounted for about 30% of the 2024 primary vote.
Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. ET, with results also covering Charleston’s Democratic mayoral primary and statewide judicial races, offering an early read on Republican power dynamics 175 days before the midterms.
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