West Virginia Democratic Senate nominee?
$50.9K
MAY 19, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer State Senator
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyModerate Democrat
Age70 years old (Nov 16, 1955)
GenderMale
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LocationWest Virginia
BackgroundAttorney
EducationWest Liberty University (B.A.)
Notable personal detailsJeffrey Vincent Kessler is an American attorney and Democratic politician from West Virginia. He served in the West Virginia Senate from 1997 to 2017, including as President of the Senate/Lieutenant Governor (2010–2015) and later as Senate Minority Leader (2015–2017). He is a graduate of West Liberty University and the West Virginia University College of Law. Kessler is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in West Virginia in the 2026 election cycle.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports increasing state revenue through targeted tax increases and directing those revenues to expanded state spending on education, economic development, and substance-abuse/treatment programs; has proposed specific tax measures (for example, a cigarette tax increase) and advocated using severance/natural-resource revenues to fund long-term investments.
Healthcare
Supports the Affordable Care Act expansion and Medicaid expansion in West Virginia and favors extending/enhancing ACA subsidies and opposing cuts to Medicaid funding. Has advocated to protect coverage and affordability for West Virginians and criticized federal actions that reduce Medicaid or ACA supports.
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Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate has made statements in 2026 supporting codifying Roe v. Wade and protecting access to contraception and said he would cosponsor the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Right to Contraception Act. Earlier public actions and statements while serving in the West Virginia legislature indicate support for restricting abortions (including backing limits such as a 20-week ban and calling for late-term abortion restrictions).
Climate & Energy
Supports investment in transitioning West Virginia’s coal-dependent economy toward new industries and cleaner energy development, including reclamation of mine sites, federal clean-coal research funding, and using severance-tax revenue for a future development fund. Has said coal will not return to its former dominance and has advocated embracing other resources such as natural gas while pursuing economic diversification and workforce retraining.
Public Safety & Guns
Jeff Kessler describes himself as a Second Amendment advocate and has supported eliminating permit and training requirements for concealed carry in West Virginia; he has opposed outside-led gun-sting operations and defended state-level control over firearms enforcement. His legislative record and public comments emphasize protecting gun rights while using state law enforcement rather than external actors for enforcement.
News
Jeff Kessler is in the news mainly because West Virginia is being named in several state-level policy fights. The biggest recent developments are a federal lawsuit over the state’s voter registration lists and new legal challenges tied to SNAP food restrictions. West Virginia is also among the states considering expanded "medical conscience" bills that would let healthcare providers refuse certain services for religious or moral reasons.
Google searches for ‘help with mortgage’ surge past 2008 levels
‘Medical conscience’ bills would let providers refuse more health care
DOJ Sues 5 More States Over Voter Roll Access
US Justice Department sues five more states over voter registration lists
Endorsements
Endorsers of Jeff Kessler for West Virginia Democratic Senate nominee?
West Virginia AFL-CIO
Labor organization
West Virginia AFL-CIO endorsed Jeff Kessler for U.S. Senate.
Bricklayers District Council of West Virginia
Public endorsement
Bricklayers District Council of West Virginia endorsed Jeff Kessler.
CWA District 2-13
Public endorsement
CWA District 2-13 endorsed Jeff Kessler in the 2026 West Virginia primary.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Fundraising