country roads
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.
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.