Charleston, W.Va. — The West Virginia Legislature has seen a consolidation of Republican power following recent elections. This shift has resulted in a significant reduction of the Democratic presence within the chamber, leading to the GOP achieving one of the largest legislative supermajorities in the nation.
Beginning in January, only two of the state’s 34 senators will be Democrats, a decrease from three this year. Additionally, the House of Delegates will have a minimum of eight Democrats out of 100 members, down from 11, although the final numbers for two delegate races remain uncertain.
With Democratic Senator Joe Manchin’s seat transitioning to Republican Jim Justice, the GOP will now hold every statewide elected office, a scenario not witnessed in almost a century.
West Virginia GOP Chairman Matt Herridge expressed optimism in a Facebook video from the U.S. Capitol, proclaiming, “Today is an amazing day for the state of West Virginia and for this country. We are poised for great things.” He drew inspiration from the Reagan era, saying it feels like “morning in America” again, resonating with the theme of renewed hope for West Virginia.
The trend in the elections is also concerning for female representation in the state’s legislature, which already has one of the lowest percentages of women in the country. Currently, there are 16 women serving in the Legislature—four in the Senate and 12 in the House. Republican state Senators Donna Boley, Amy Grady, and Patricia Rucker successfully retained their seats, while Republican Laura Wakim Chapman’s position won’t be on the ballot until 2026. As of now, nine women have secured spots in the House, with one being a Democrat and the remaining eight Republicans; two additional races with female candidates are still undecided.
One electoral setback involved a lawsuit following Jeff Disibbio’s name being accidentally omitted from the ballot. In a decisive outcome, he lost to Republican Craig Hart for a state Senate district seat in southern West Virginia. Preliminary results indicate that Hart garnered approximately 10,000 more votes than Disibbio. This debacle occurred early in the voting period, where only 624 ballots had been cast before the ballot error was revealed.
In the House of Delegates, one of the most closely contested races involved Democratic Del. Kayla Young and Republican Andrew Anderson in Kanawha County, which encompasses Charleston. The final results for this race were still pending as of Wednesday.
Democratic Delegate Anitra Hamilton, who was running unopposed for her position, emphasized the importance of recruiting new candidates to increase Democratic voter turnout. She mentioned the ongoing difficulty of enacting effective policies without greater support from more counties.
In the state Senate, Democratic Del. Ric Griffith faced a narrow defeat against political newcomer Scott Fuller, a retired police officer, in a race that encompassed Wayne and Cabell counties. Meanwhile, Democratic Del. Joey Garcia secured a win against Republican Rebecca Polis for the seat vacated by Democratic Sen. Mike Caputo. In a notable victory, Republican Thomas Willis, who had previously triumphed over Senate President Craig Blair in the primary, easily won a seat in the eastern panhandle, defeating Democrat Anthony Murray.
Of the 17 Senate seats up for election, incumbents succeeded in 10, while seven Republican candidates were elected uncontested.