Riley McGowan Moore was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1980. He earned a welding apprenticeship certificate before receiving a bachelor’s degree in government from George Mason University and a master’s degree in strategic security studies from the National Defense University.
Moore entered West Virginia politics as a Republican candidate for the House of Delegates. He represented the 67th district from 2017 to 2019 and served in Republican leadership in the chamber. He later ran for state treasurer in the 2020 general election. Moore served as West Virginia treasurer from January 2021 until January 2025.
As treasurer, Moore opposed environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing and took steps intended to restrict the state’s financial relationships.
Moore ran for West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in 2024 after then-Rep. Alex Mooney left the seat to run for the U.S. Senate. Moore won the Republican primary and then defeated Democrat Steven Wendelin in the general election, receiving about 70.8% of the vote. He took office in January 2025.
In 2026, Moore won the Republican nomination without a contested Republican primary and is seeking a second term. Democrat Ace Parsi is his general-election opponent.