West Virginia State Senate elections, 2026
From Ballotpedia
| 2026 West Virginia Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | Pending |
| General | November 3, 2026 |
| 2026 Elections |
|---|
| Choose a chamber below: |
Elections for the West Virginia State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.
The West Virginia State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Party | As of March 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 2 | |
| Republican Party | 32 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 34 |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.
Primary
General election
West Virginia State Senate general election 2026 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 | |||
| District 2 | |||
| District 3 | |||
| District 4 | |||
| District 5 | |||
| District 6 | |||
| District 7 | |||
| District 8 | |||
| District 9 |
Rollan Roberts (i) |
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| District 10 | |||
| District 11 | |||
| District 12 |
Ben Queen (i) |
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| District 13 | |||
| District 14 |
Jay Taylor (i) |
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| District 15 | |||
| District 16 |
Jason Barrett (i) |
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| District 17 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in West Virginia
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in West Virginia. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Chapter 3, Article 5 of the West Virginia Code
Certificate of announcement, 2013
Political party candidates
Before raising money for a campaign, a candidate must file a pre-candidacy registration form. The form must identify a campaign treasurer, who will be responsible for the campaign's financial transactions. A candidate must file a certificate of announcement declaring his or her candidacy with the West Virginia Secretary of State. The candidate must pay a filing fee, which is calculated as a percentage of the salary of the office sought. The candidate must also file a financial disclosure statement with the West Virginia Ethics Commission within 10 days of filing the certificate of announcement.[1][2][3]
Independent candidates
An independent candidate must gain authorization to collect petition signatures by obtaining an official credentials form from the county clerk in each county in which the candidate wishes to collect signatures. This form must be presented to each voter canvassed or solicited.[1][4]
The candidate must obtain a candidate nomination petition at the time of gaining authorization. The candidate must obtain signatures equaling at least 1 percent of the entire vote cast at the last preceding general election for the office being sought (or at least 25 signatures).[1][5][6]
The candidate must file the certificate of announcement and nominating petition with the appropriate office. An independent candidate must also pay a filing fee (the same as that paid by political party candidates).[1][7]
Write-in candidates
A write-in candidate must file a certificate of announcement with the West Virginia Secretary of State. Write-in candidates are not listed on the ballot, but a list of official write-in candidates is posted at each polling place during early voting and on Election Day.[1]
A write-in candidate is not required to pay a filing fee or collect signatures.[1]
Qualifications
Section 13 of Article 6 of the West Virginia Constitution states, "No person holding any other lucrative office or employment under this state, the United States, or any foreign government; no member of Congress; and no person who is sheriff, constable, or clerk of any court of record, shall be eligible to a seat in the Legislature."
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[8] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $20,000/year | $75/day for members who commute daily. $175/day for members who do not commute daily. |
When sworn in
West Virginia legislators assume office on the first day of December following their election.[9]
West Virginia political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
West Virginia Party Control: 1992-2024
Nineteen years of Democratic trifectas • Seven years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D[10] | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Presidential politics in West Virginia
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
 |
There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 762,584 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
|
Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 794,652 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
West Virginia presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 15 Democratic wins
- 17 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | R | D | D | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
West Virginia enacted district maps for the Senate and House of Delegates on October 22, 2021.[11] On September 30, 2021, the House Redistricting Committees released a single-member district map proposal for the West Virginia House of Delegates.[12] The proposal passed the House on October 13, 2021, in a 79-20 vote and passed the Senate on October 18, 2021, in a 28-5 vote.[13] On October 5, 2021, the Senate Redistricting Committee released five map proposals for West Virginia's State Senate districts.[14] On October 11, 2021, the Senate Redistricting Committee voted to recommend Sen. Charles S. Trump IV's (R) 8th proposed senate map to the full Senate.[15] The Senate approved a map that combined aspects of previous proposals in a 31-2 vote on October 19, 2021. The map, named after Sens. Trump, Tom Takubo (R), Eric Tarr (R) Patricia Rucker (R), and Robert Karnes (R) was approved by the House in a 72-19 vote. Both the House and Senate maps were signed into law by Gov. Jim Justice (R) on October 20, 2021.[16] These maps took effect for West Virginia's 2022 legislative elections.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 West Virginia Secretary of State, "Running for Office in West Virginia," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-8-5(e)," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-8," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-23," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-23," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-24," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ West Virginia Code, "Chapter 3-5-8," accessed December 10, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ West Virginia Constitution, "Article IV, Section 7," accessed February 9, 2021
- ↑ Gov. Jim Justice switched his registration to Republican on August 4, 2017.
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Actions by the Governor," accessed October 25, 2021
- ↑ WSAZ, "First West Virginia redistricting maps released," September 30, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Actions by the Governor," accessed October 25, 2021
- ↑ West Virginia Legislature, "Senate Select Committee on Redistricting," accessed October 7, 2021
- ↑ WV News, "(West Virginia) Senate Redistricting Committee selects proposed maps," October 11, 2021
- ↑ Metro News, "After days of trying, Senate overwhelmingly passes a map of its own districts," October 19, 2021
Leadership
Senate President:Randy Smith
Majority Leader:Patrick Martin
Minority Leader:Mike Woelfel
Senators
Republican Party (32)
Democratic Party (2)
