West Virginia 2026 Election & Infrastructure Intelligence

# West Virginia State Overview ## Election structure West Virginia has no gubernatorial election in 2026. The statewide federal ballot is led by the U.S. Senate race, followed by two U.S. House contests. Nonpartisan Supreme Court elections were completed with the May primary and are therefore not November contests. ## Infrastructure and policy context West Virginia is positioning itself as an energy-rich destination for AI and high-impact data centers through private microgrids, coal and gas generation, tax treatment, and streamlined state approval. The policy remains contested because the 2025 framework reduced local control and shifted much of the fiscal and regulatory authority to the state. The 2026 legislative record includes proposals to require water-use reporting and hearings, restore local jurisdiction, prohibit subsidies, redirect project tax revenue toward counties, schools, and public benefits, and finance advanced baseload generation that can serve data centers. ## Election intelligence The Senate race is rated Likely Republican and both House races Safe Republican. No reliable independent public general-election polling was located. Candidate posture labels therefore rely on direct statements, official actions, and documented energy-development records rather than partisan inference alone. ## Sources - https://sos.wv.gov/elections - https://apps.npr.org/primary-election-results-2026/states/WV.html - https://apnews.com/article/b33c051439bd3694ee3f2b04981f4555 - https://bills.wvlegislature.gov/bill/history/2026/RS/HB4832/ - https://bills.wvlegislature.gov/bill/history/2026/rs/HB4509/ - https://bills.wvlegislature.gov/bill/history/2026/rs/HB4854/ - https://bills.wvlegislature.gov/bill/history/2026/rs/HB4822/ - https://bills.wvlegislature.gov/bill/history/2026/rs/SB942/

Race	Status	Candidates	Impact	Key issue
U.S. Senate Statewide	See research	See candidate dossiers	Medium	Infrastructure and policy impact

# West Virginia Race and Candidate Dossiers ## U.S. Senate Statewide **Priority:** High **Rating:** Likely Republican **Infrastructure focus:** AI competitiveness, PJM reliability, coal and gas generation, microgrids, water, local transparency ### Shelley Moore Capito (Republican) - Status: General nominee - Data-center posture: **Conditional** - Confidence: High - Evidence: Explicitly supports recruiting data centers and AI investment, while calling for early community engagement, transparency, self-supplied power, and credible water protections. - Backing/status: Incumbent senator; won Republican primary with 66.5%. - Polling: No verified public general-election poll. - Sources: https://apps.npr.org/primary-election-results-2026/states/WV.html; https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/west-virginia-senator-says-early-community-engagement-from-data-centers-is-key; https://www.capito.senate.gov/news/in-the-news/we-want-them-capito-supports-efforts-to-build-a-data-center ### Rachel Fetty Anderson (Democratic) - Status: General nominee - Data-center posture: **Unverified** - Confidence: Low - Evidence: No sufficiently specific public position located on data-center siting, utility cost allocation, microgrids, water, or tax incentives. - Backing/status: Won Democratic primary with 33.2%. - Polling: No verified public general-election poll. - Sources: https://apps.npr.org/primary-election-results-2026/states/WV.html; https://apps.sos.wv.gov/elections/candidate-search/Default.aspx ## U.S. House 1 **Priority:** Medium **Rating:** Safe Republican **Infrastructure focus:** Southern West Virginia coal generation, microgrid development, water, jobs, tax incentives ### Carol Miller (Republican) - Status: General nominee - Data-center posture: **Enable** - Confidence: Medium - Evidence: Broader record aligns with coal, gas, industrial development, and a permissive state data-center framework; no direct call for a pause or restriction was located. - Backing/status: Incumbent; won Republican primary with 72%. - Polling: No verified public general-election poll. - Sources: https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/05/12/carol-miller-soundly-wins-the-republican-nomination-for-u-s-house-of-reps-in-wv-during-2026-primary/; https://apnews.com/article/b33c051439bd3694ee3f2b04981f4555 ### Vince George (Democratic) - Status: General nominee - Data-center posture: **Unverified** - Confidence: Low - Evidence: No sufficiently specific public position located on high-impact data centers or microgrid policy. - Backing/status: Won Democratic primary with 53%. - Polling: No verified public general-election poll. - Sources: https://westvirginiawatch.com/2026/05/12/carol-miller-soundly-wins-the-republican-nomination-for-u-s-house-of-reps-in-wv-during-2026-primary/ ## U.S. House 2 **Priority:** Medium **Rating:** Safe Republican **Infrastructure focus:** Eastern Panhandle growth, PJM transmission, advanced baseload, coal generation, community benefits ### Ril

# Research Gaps and Refresh Rules ## Current gaps - No verified independent general-election polling was located for the Senate or House contests. - Direct data-center positions remain unavailable for Rachel Fetty Anderson, Vince George, and Ace Parsi. - Independent and official write-in fields require continued monitoring. - Campaign-finance totals should be refreshed after each federal filing deadline. ## Refresh rules - Check the West Virginia Secretary of State candidate listing daily for certification, withdrawal, replacement, and write-in changes. - Check FEC filings after each reporting deadline. - Recheck candidate websites, debates, and local press weekly for posture evidence. - Trigger an immediate policy refresh for enacted data-center, microgrid, water, tax, or utility legislation. - Trigger an immediate project refresh for permits, cancellations, ownership changes, or major power-supply agreements.