Despite Losses, Democrats Look To Margins For Hope

West Virginia remains squarely in Republican control after Tuesday’s elections. But analysis shows a new trend towards Democrats.  

National analysis of the state’s election results shows that a higher percentage of West Virginia voters chose Democrats compared with the 2024 presidential election.  

NBC News shows the race won by U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, has shifted on average more than 21 points toward Democrats.  

Put more concretely, Capito’s margin of victory in 2020 when she won with 70% of the vote was 43 points. Tuesday, she received 58.33% of the vote, while Democratic challenger Rachel Fetty Anderson received 37.9% of the vote, a margin of 20 points. 

Rep. Carol Miller’s margin of victory also shrank from +40 in 2024 against Chris Bob Reed to 17.5 points Tuesday against Vince George. And Rep. Riley Moore’s margin went from 41.5 points against Steven Wendelin in 2024 to 18.8 points this year against Ace Parsi. 

The trend holds true for all 55 counties, varying from a +27-point shift in Berkeley County to +11 in Ohio County.   

Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, the chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, said the party’s candidates for federal office did well in races that were said to be impossible. 

“Getting over 40% of the vote is a big step in the right direction here in West Virginia. Look, this is a tough playing field for Democrats here in West Virginia, but these folks did it anyway,” he said. “They led our ticket. Their hard work, moving the needle in many parts of the state is what led to some of our successes down ballot. So I’m eternally grateful for the hard work of Rachel (Fetty Anderson) and her team, and Ace (Parsi) and his team, and Vince (George) and his team. They knocked it out of the park, and we’re very proud of them.” 

The New York Times came to a similar conclusion when looking at state House of Delegates competitions, where voters shifted towards Democrats by 23 points.  

“That swing towards Democrats picked up seats in both the West Virginia House and the state Senate,” Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, said on a social media video. 

Democrats have doubled their share of seats in both chambers of the state legislature, jumping from two to four seats in the Senate and from nine to 21 seats in the House of Delegates. 

Young said she was most excited by the eight women elected to the House of Delegates, where the Democratic caucus goes from having two women to 10. 

“These numbers mean tangible change for us in the House. We will go from having two seats on a committee to having four seats on a committee. This will mean that no matter what amendment we put up, we can get a roll call vote, meaning we will know exactly how people vote with their names. Right now, it’s just a voice vote,” she said. “These are significant changes and really set us on the path to growing, eventually breaking the supermajority in West Virginia.”