Trump Endorsed
Incumbent
West Virginia Republican Senate nominee?
$135.6K
MAY 13, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleU.S. Senator
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age72 years old (Nov 26, 1953)
GenderFemale
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LocationWest Virginia
BackgroundPolitician
EducationDuke University (B.S.)
Notable personal detailsShelley Moore Capito is the senior United States senator from West Virginia, first elected in 2014 and taking office in 2015, after serving seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (2001–2015). She previously served in the West Virginia House of Delegates (1997–2001) and worked in higher-education student advising roles in West Virginia. She earned a B.S. from Duke University and an M.Ed. from the University of Virginia. She is married to Charles L. Capito Jr. and has three children.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Shelley Moore Capito supports tax cuts and has defended the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as beneficial for workers and businesses. She opposes raising the corporate tax rate to pay for infrastructure and has backed legislation to preserve tax benefits for pass-through and small businesses.
Healthcare
Shelley Moore Capito has consistently supported repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and favors reforms to reduce ACA burdens while also expressing concern for West Virginians who gained coverage through Medicaid expansion. She has voted for repeal measures (2015) and has said she will not back repeal without a replacement that addresses Medicaid-expanded populations and opioid treatment needs. Capito has supported targeted expansions such as CHIP while emphasizing lowering premiums and expanding consumer choice through reforms.
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Immigration & Border
The candidate emphasizes stronger border security and enforcement, supports measures to deter irregular migration (including barriers and 'remain in Mexico' policies), and opposes broad amnesty or pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. She has backed legislation increasing detention and removal for certain criminal offenders and has called for quicker asylum processing and expanded enforcement resources. Her public statements prioritize border control as a prerequisite for broader immigration reform.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports restrictions on abortion and opposes federal statutory codification of Roe v. Wade, arguing the issue should be returned to the states. Has backed pro-life measures such as the Hyde Amendment (blocking taxpayer funding for abortion) and supported legislation restricting late-term abortions while saying exceptions are appropriate for the pregnant patient’s health. Opposed Democratic bills that would create a federal right to abortion at all stages and has co-sponsored/ voted for pro-life measures in the Senate and House in the past.
Climate & Energy
Supports an all-of-the-above energy approach that includes protecting and promoting coal and natural gas for West Virginia’s economy while advancing carbon capture technologies and state control over permitting. Advocates for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and has worked to secure federal support and state permitting authority for CCUS projects. Emphasizes state-led permitting and reliable baseload power rather than aggressive emissions-only regulation or Green New Deal–style measures.
Public Safety & Guns
Shelley Moore Capito is a pro-Second Amendment Republican who has received high ratings and endorsements from pro-gun groups and opposes broad federal gun restrictions. She supported the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act while emphasizing it should not infringe on lawful gun ownership and has opposed certain federal regulatory actions she views as overreach. Her public statements and actions prioritize enforcing existing laws, supporting law enforcement, and protecting gun rights while backing targeted measures such as mental-health and school-safety funding in bipartisan proposals.
News
Shelley Moore Capito is in the news mainly because West Virginia is facing several federal policy and legal developments. The EPA has approved the state’s pollution plan under the Trump administration, a move that rolls back stricter controls on sulfur and smog emissions and is already drawing legal challenges from environmental groups. West Virginia is also one of the states sued by the Justice Department over access to voter registration lists. Separately, reports say West Virginia is among the most federally dependent states and is seeing higher gas prices and signs of financial strain among households.
Here are the most federally dependent states in 2026, data suggests
US Justice Department sues five more states over voter registration lists
Google searches for ‘help with mortgage’ surge past 2008 levels
Trump’s EPA is paving the way for haze to return to national parks, conservationists warn
Endorsements
Endorsers of Shelley Moore Capito for West Virginia Republican Senate nominee?
Donald Trump
Political organization
Donald Trump endorsed Shelley Moore Capito in her 2026 Senate primary campaign.
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 20262022
2024
2026
LatestCycle 2022
Cycle 2024
Cycle 2026
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls