2020 United States Senate election in West Virginia

The 2020 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections.

2020 United States Senate election in West Virginia

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Nominee Shelley Moore Capito Paula Jean Swearengin Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 547,454 210,309 Percentage 70.28% 27.00%

County results Congressional district results Precinct results Capito:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Swearengin:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Tie:      40–50%      50%

U.S. senator before election Shelley Moore Capito Republican Elected U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito Republican

Incumbent senator Shelley Moore Capito won a second term against Democrat Paula Jean Swearengin by a margin of 43.3%, winning every county, and becoming the first West Virginia Republican to win reelection to the U.S. Senate since 1907.

Swearengin's 27% of the vote was the lowest vote percentage and worst margin of defeat for any Democratic Senate candidate in West Virginia history.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Shelley Moore Capito, incumbent U.S. Senator

Eliminated in primary

• Larry Butcher, farmer^[1]
• Allen Whitt, president of the West Virginia Family Policy Council^[2]

Endorsements

Shelley Moore Capito

Organizations

• Maggie's List^[3]

Results

Results by county:

Moore Capito

•   Capito—80–90%
•   Capito—70–80%

Republican primary results^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Shelley Moore Capito (incumbent)	173,847	83.32%
	Republican	Allen Whitt	20,075	9.62%
	Republican	Larry Butcher	14,717	7.05%
Total votes			208,639	100.00%

Democratic primary

Paula Jean Swearengin won the nomination with 38.8% of the vote in the state's Democratic primary on June 9, 2020.^[5]

Candidates

Nominee

• Paula Jean Swearengin, environmental activist and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2018^[6][7][5]

Eliminated in primary

• Richard Ojeda, former state senator, nominee for West Virginia's 3rd congressional district in 2018, and former candidate for president of the United States in 2020^[8][9]
• Richie Robb, former mayor of South Charleston^[10]

Declined

• Mike Pushkin, state delegate^[11]
• Earl Ray Tomblin, former governor of West Virginia^[11]

Endorsements

Paula Jean Swearengin

Organizations

• Brand New Congress^[12]
• Sierra Club^[13]
• Students for Gun Legislation

Results

Results by county

Swearengin

•   Swearengin—30-40%
•   Swearengin—40-50%
•   Swearengin—50-60%

Ojeda

•   Ojeda—40–50%
•   Ojeda—30–40%
•   Ojeda—20–30%

Robb

•   Robb—30-40%
•   Robb—40-50%
•   Robb—50-60%

Democratic primary results^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paula Jean Swearengin	72,292	38.39%
	Democratic	Richard Ojeda	61,954	32.90%
	Democratic	Richie Robb	54,048	28.70%
Total votes			188,294	100.00%

Other candidates

Libertarian Party

Nominee

• David Moran^[15]

Independents

Withdrawn

• Franklin Riley^[16][15]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[17]	Safe R	October 29, 2020
Inside Elections[18]	Safe R	October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball[19]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
Daily Kos[20]	Safe R	October 30, 2020
Politico[21]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
RCP[22]	Safe R	October 23, 2020
DDHQ[23]	Safe R	November 3, 2020
538[24]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
Economist[25]	Safe R	November 2, 2020

Endorsements

Shelley Moore Capito (R)

Unions

• United Mine Workers District 17^[26]

Organizations

• Maggie's List^[3]
• United States Chamber of Commerce^[27]

Publications

• Charleston Gazette-Mail^[28]
• The Herald-Dispatch^[29]

Paula Jean Swearengin (D)

U.S. senators

• Ed Markey, U.S. senator from Massachusetts^[30]
• Bernie Sanders, U.S. senator from Vermont (Independent) and 2020 presidential candidate^[31]

U.S. representatives

• Grace Meng, U.S. representative from NY-06^[32]

State legislators

• Charles Booker, Kentucky state representative from District 43^[33]
• Richard Ojeda, West Virginia State Senator for the 7th district (2016–2019); 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate candidate^[34]
• Charlotte Pritt, West Virginia State Senator for the 17th district (1988-1992); candidate for governor in 1992, 1996, and 2016^[35]
• Nina Turner, Ohio Senator from District 25 (2008–2014), President of Our Revolution^[36]

Notable Individuals

• Cori Bush, Democratic nominee for MO-1^[37]
• Marianne Williamson, author, activist, and 2020 presidential candidate^[38]
• Andrew Yang, author, entrepreneur, and 2020 presidential candidate^[39]

Unions

• Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Local 21^[40]

Organizations

• 350 Action^[41]
• Brand New Congress^[42]
• Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund^[43]
• Friends of the Earth Action Fund^[44]
• Progressive Democrats of America^[45]
• Sierra Club^[46]
• Sunrise Movement^[47]
• Working Families Party^[48]

Publications

• The Dominion Post^[49]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Shelley Moore Capito (R)	Paula Jean Swearengin (D)	David Moran (L)	Undecided
Research America Inc.[50]	October 6–9, 2020	450 (LV)	± 4.6%	53%	33%	5%	9%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[a]	Margin of error	Shelley Moore Capito (R)	Generic Democrat	Undecided
Public Policy Polling (D)[51][A]	June 13–14, 2017	762 (V)	± 3.4%	48%	35%	17%

Hypothetical polling

Results

United States Senate election in West Virginia, 2020^[52]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Shelley Moore Capito (incumbent)	547,454	70.28%	+8.16%
	Democratic	Paula Jean Swearengin	210,309	27.00%	−7.47%
	Libertarian	David Moran	21,155	2.72%	+1.09%
Total votes			778,918	100.00%
	Republican hold

By county

Capito won all 55 of the state's counties for the second election in a row, earning more than 70% of the vote over Swearengin in all but nine counties.

By county

County Shelley Moore Capito Republican Paula Jean Swearengin Democratic David Moran Libertarian Margin Total votes # % # % # % # % Barbour 5,096 77.00 1,331 20.11 191 2.89 3,765 56.89 6,618 Berkeley 34,162 67.23 15,197 29.91 1,453 2.86 18,965 37.32 50,812 Boone 6,674 75.27 2,016 22.74 177 2.00 4,658 52.53 8,867 Braxton 4,006 72.22 1,395 25.15 146 2.63 2,611 47.07 5,547 Brooke 7,355 70.96 2,699 26.04 311 3.00 4,656 44.92 10,365 Cabell 22,880 62.30 12,979 35.34 864 2.35 9,901 26.96 36,723 Calhoun 2,276 78.81 537 18.59 75 2.60 1,739 60.22 2,888 Clay 2,680 80.38 575 17.25 79 2.37 2,105 63.14 3,334 Doddridge 2,507 82.90 415 13.72 102 3.37 2,092 69.18 3,024 Fayette 11,158 67.79 4,938 30.00 364 2.21 6,220 37.79 16,460 Gilmer 1,939 74.78 586 22.60 68 2.62 1,353 52.18 2,593 Grant 4,544 86.87 534 10.21 153 2.92 4,010 76.66 5,231 Greenbrier 11,042 70.69 4,299 27.52 280 1.79 6,743 43.17 15,621 Hampshire 7,764 79.22 1,764 18.00 272 2.78 6,000 61.22 9,800 Hancock 9,593 71.38 3,484 25.92 362 2.69 6,109 45.46 13,439 Hardy 4,879 78.18 1,196 19.16 166 2.66 3,683 59.01 6,241 Harrison 21,194 70.64 7,807 26.02 1,000 3.33 13,387 44.62 30,001 Jackson 10,298 77.21 2,754 20.65 285 2.14 7,544 56.56 13,337 Jefferson 15,625 57.23 11,033 40.41 646 2.37 4,592 16.82 27,304 Kanawha 50,953 62.85 28,565 35.24 1,550 1.91 22,388 27.62 81,068 Lewis 5,736 77.46 1,431 19.32 238 3.21 4,305 58.14 7,405 Lincoln 5,770 75.73 1,663 21.83 186 2.44 4,107 53.90 7,619 Logan 9,810 79.71 2,266 18.41 231 1.88 7,544 61.30 12,307 Marion 16,722 66.01 7,626 30.10 985 3.89 9,096 35.91 25,333 Marshall 10,655 77.12 2,913 21.08 249 1.80 7,742 56.03 13,817 Mason 8,421 76.06 2,333 21.07 317 2.86 6,088 54.99 11,071 McDowell 4,539 75.44 1,363 22.65 115 1.91 3,176 52.78 6,017 Mercer 18,740 76.48 5,269 21.50 494 2.02 13,471 54.98 24,503 Mineral 9,830 77.95 2,308 18.30 472 3.74 7,522 59.65 12,610 Mingo 7,761 81.57 1,525 16.03 228 2.40 6,236 65.54 9,514 Monongalia 22,140 53.37 17,863 43.06 1,483 3.57 4,277 10.31 41,486 Monroe 4,901 77.34 1,305 20.59 131 2.07 3,596 56.74 6,337 Morgan 6,504 76.30 1,797 21.08 223 2.62 4,707 55.22 8,524 Nicholas 7,976 76.69 2,214 21.29 210 2.02 5,762 55.40 10,400 Ohio 13,373 68.07 5,905 30.06 368 1.87 7,468 38.01 19,646 Pendleton 2,840 79.15 677 18.87 71 1.98 2,163 60.28 3,588 Pleasants 2,628 77.73 634 18.75 119 3.52 1,994 58.98 3,381 Pocahontas 2,707 70.26 1,034 26.84 112 2.91 1,673 43.42 3,853 Preston 9,953 69.71 2,664 18.66 1,660 11.63 7,289 51.05 14,277 Putnam 20,812 73.78 6,784 24.05 613 2.17 14,028 49.73 28,209 Raleigh 23,708 73.02 8,201 25.26 561 1.73 15,507 47.76 32,470 Randolph 8,873 73.91 2,868 23.89 265 2.21 6,005 50.02 12,006 Ritchie 3,474 83.49 569 13.67 118 2.84 2,905 69.81 4,161 Roane 4,260 75.00 1,302 22.92 118 2.08 2,958 52.08 5,680 Summers 3,839 70.86 1,467 27.08 112 2.07 2,372 43.78 5,418 Taylor 5,402 73.95 1,582 21.66 321 4.39 3,820 52.29 7,305 Tucker 2,706 71.38 854 22.53 231 6.09 1,852 48.85 3,791 Tyler 3,095 80.66 612 15.95 130 3.39 2,483 64.71 3,837 Upshur 7,788 77.48 1,953 19.43 310 3.08 5,835 58.05 10,051 Wayne 12,048 73.80 3,895 23.86 383 2.35 8,153 49.94 16,326 Webster 2,585 78.84 613 18.69 81 2.47 1,972 60.14 3,279 Wetzel 4,811 74.12 1,441 22.20 239 3.68 3,370 51.92 6,491 Wirt 2,116 81.32 426 16.37 60 2.31 1,690 64.95 2,602 Wood 27,733 72.75 9,359 24.55 1,031 2.70 18,374 48.20 38,123 Wyoming 6,573 80.08 1,489 18.14 146 1.78 5,084 61.94 8,208 Totals 547,454 70.28 210,309 27.00 21,155 2.72 337,145 43.28 778,918

By congressional district

Moore Capito won all three congressional districts.^[53]

District	Moore Capito	Jean Swearengin	Representative
1st	70%	27%	David McKinley
2nd	69%	29%	Alex Mooney
3rd	73%	25%	Carol Miller

Notes

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by Save My Care

Voter samples and additional candidates

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear

References

1. Thomas, Alex (January 29, 2020). "Governor, US Senate seats up in this year's election".
2. Barker, Tyler (October 8, 2019). "Conservative Challenging Shelley Moore Capito For Senate". WOAY TV - ABC. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
3. "2020 Candidates". maggieslist.org.
4. "U.S. SENATOR - REP". Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
5. "West Virginia U.S. Senate Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 9, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
6. "What Are The Knock Down The House Candidates Doing In 2019?". Bustle. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
7. Staff, WSAZ News (June 10, 2020). "U.S. Senate Candidate Paula Jean Swearengin wins W.Va. Democratic primary". www.wsaz.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
8. Ojeda, Richard (January 13, 2020). "To the People of West Virginia".
9. Pathe, Simone (January 13, 2020). "West Virginia's Richard Ojeda is back, this time running for Senate". Roll Call. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
10. Adams, Steven Allen (January 27, 2020). "Warner: Filings go smoothly on final day". The Inter-Mountain. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
11. Singiser, Steve. "Here's our ultimate Democratic wishlist for Senate in 2020. Who's on yours?". Daily Kos. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
12. "Paula Jean Swearengin". Brand New Congress. May 28, 2020. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
13. "Sierra Club #ClimateVoter Guide: Endorsements". Sierra Club.
14. "U.S. SENATOR - DEM". Secretary of State of West Virginia. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
15. "WV SOS - Elections - Candidate - Online Data Services". services.sos.wv.gov. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
16. Zuckerman, Jake (August 7, 2019). "Swearengin announces US Senate run as Democrat". WV Gazette Mail. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
17. "2020 Senate Race Ratings for October 29, 2020". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
18. "2020 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
19. "2020 Senate race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
20. "2020 Senate Race Ratings". Daily Kos Elections. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
21. "2020 Election Forecast". Politico. November 19, 2019.
22. "Battle for the Senate 2020". RCP. October 23, 2020.
23. "2020 Senate Elections Model". Decision Desk HQ. September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
24. Silver, Nate (September 18, 2020). "Forecasting the race for the Senate". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
25. "Forecasting the US elections". The Economist. November 2, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
26. Thomas, Alex (September 7, 2020). "Annual UMWA picnic goes virtual, but remains opportunity for candidates".
27. Thomas, Alex (September 10, 2020). "US Chamber of Commerce endorses Capito as senator seeks second term".
28. "Gazette-Mail endorses Capito for US Senate". October 6, 2020.
29. "Editorial: Capito is best choice for U.S. Senate". The Herald-Dispatch. October 6, 2020.
30. @paulajean2020 (October 10, 2020). "Tonight at 7pm EST, join me and US Senator @EdMarkey at the #UniteOurFight rally. I'm so excited to stand beside Senator Markey in DC to fight for the everyday folks all across our nation. Let's end political dynasties and take our power back! Heart decoration http://pjwv.cc/rally" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
31. "Swearengin receives Sanders endorsement". July 9, 2020.
32. Grace Meng [@Grace4NY] (September 10, 2020). "Grace Meng: I'm with @paulajean2020! Join us!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
33. Charles Booker [@Booker4KY] (September 30, 2020). "Charles Booker:@paulajean2020 is a coal miner's daughter running for a Green New Deal in West Virginia so we can get a just transition for workers who've been left behind by industry and our politicians. She is a champion for the people, and we need her in the Senate!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
34. Richard Ojeda [@Ojeda4America] (June 30, 2020). "Richard Ojeda: I'm giving my full support to Paula Jean Swearingin" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
35. Charlotte Pritt [@betterbalance2] (August 25, 2020). "Charlotte Pritt: Yes! This coal miner's daughter is with you all the way" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
36. Paula Jean Swearengin [@paulajean2020] (August 26, 2020). "Paula Jean Swearengin:Thank you for your endorsement @ninaturner! I'm honored to have your support" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
37. Cori Bush [@CoriBush] (August 21, 2020). "Cori Bush:Paula Jean Swearengin is my sister from Knock Down the House, and while we came up short in 2018, in 2020 we are both demonstrating that this is our moment to make history" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
38. Marianne Williamson [@marwilliamson] (July 14, 2020). "Marianne Williamson:Let's help elect @paulajean2020 to the Senate in West Virginia" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
39. Paula Jean Swearengin [@paulajean2020] (August 28, 2020). "Swearengin:Thank you @AndrewYang for your endorsement!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
40. Paula Jean Swearengin [@paulajean2020] (September 1, 2020). "Swearengin:Thank you so much, @RWDSU Local 21! I'm honored to stand beside you all and will always vote to protect your rights" (Tweet). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020 – via Twitter.
41. "Endorsements". 350 Action.
42. Brand New Congress. "Mother and Community Activist Paula Jean Swearengin for U.S. Senate, West Virginia". Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
43. "2020 Endorsements".
44. "Candidate Endorsements • Friends of the Earth Action". Friends of the Earth Action. August 25, 2017.
45. "2020 Endorsements". PDAmerica. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
46. "Sierra Club Voter Guide: Endorsements". Sierra Club #ClimateVoter Guide. July 16, 2012.
47. Golshan, Tara (September 10, 2020). "Sunrise Movement Unveils 2020 Endorsements To Defeat Climate Change Deniers". HuffPost. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
48. "WV Working Families Endorses Paula Jean Swearengin". Paula Jean Swearengin. July 27, 2020.
49. "Swearengin for Senate". September 14, 2020.
50. Research America Inc.
51. Public Policy Polling (D)
52. "November 3, 2020 General Election - Official Results". West Virginia State - Clarity Elections. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
53. "Our Campaigns - WV US Senate Race - Nov 03, 2020". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 20, 2024.

External links

• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "West Virginia", Voting & Elections Toolkits
• "West Virginia: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
• "League of Women Voters of West Virginia". (state affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
• West Virginia at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites

• Shelley Moore Capito (R) for Senate
• Paula Jean Swearengin (D) for Senate