Republicans gain West Virginia Senate seat

Republicans flipped their first Senate seat for the night, with Rep. Shelley Moore Capito winning the open seat in West Virginia that was left vacant by retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller. This result was widely expected.
Capito, first elected to the House in 2000, easily defeated the Democratic nominee, state Secretary of State Natalie Tennant.
The last time West Virginia elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate was way back in 1956. However, the state has become increasingly Republican over the last several election cycles, voting GOP for president in all four races from 2000 through 2012.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
President Obama and national Democrats have become so unpopular in this state, that Tennant even ran an ad in which she cut off electricity to the White House.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress