Thornton Cooper
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in West Virginia
West Virginia Democratic Senate nominee?
$50.9K
MAY 19, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Live Odds — West Virginia Democratic Senate nominee?
Current prediction-market probability for the candidate, updated as market prices change.
0.1%chance to win
$50.9KMAY 19, 2026Candidate Overview
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleAttorney
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyLiberal Democrat
LocationWest Virginia
BackgroundAttorney
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EducationYale University (graduated 1972)
Notable personal detailsThornton Cooper is a West Virginia attorney and retired state employee from South Charleston. He was the Democratic nominee for West Virginia Secretary of State in 2024 and later ran for the U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 2026. He is a Yale University graduate and attended West Virginia University College of Law.
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Political Positions
Economy & Taxes
The candidate has expressed support for raising the minimum wage and for making it easier to start and operate small businesses (including improving the state’s business portal). There are no clear statements on tax policy or proposals for taxation levels, corporate taxes, or major fiscal changes in the available campaign materials.
Healthcare
The candidate opposes West Virginia Amendment 1 (which would constitutionally ban physician-assisted suicide) and supports allowing medical aid-in-dying for competent, terminal patients as an element of bodily autonomy. No clear public evidence was found of a broader, comprehensive position on health coverage, Medicaid, or the Affordable Care Act.
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Public Safety & Guns
The candidate supports local restrictions on firearms in certain public facilities, opposing a 2014 state law that allowed concealed weapons in city recreation facilities and arguing city governments should be able to ban concealed weapons in such locations. This indicates support for targeted gun safety restrictions while not advocating a broad ban on gun ownership.
Latest News
Thornton Cooper is in the news as a candidate in West Virginia’s 2026 election cycle, where the state has just used a new photo ID voting law for the first time in a primary. The rollout was reported to have few problems, but the change is part of a broader set of election-related fights in the state, including DOJ lawsuits over voter registration lists and stricter voting rules. Other recent coverage around West Virginia has focused on policy debates such as medical conscience bills, but no specific new campaign move from Cooper was reported in the summaries.
‘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
Google searches for ‘help with mortgage’ surge past 2008 levels
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We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
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