West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: January 31, 2026
Primary: May 12, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voting in West Virginia

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd
West Virginia elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 2nd Congressional District of West Virginia, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 12, 2026. The filing deadline is January 31, 2026. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

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

General election

The primary will occur on May 12, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Incumbent Riley Moore is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on May 12, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Riley Moore
Riley Moore

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.

Voting information

See also: Voting in West Virginia

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Riley Moore Republican Party $437,922 $133,115 $427,769 As of June 30, 2025

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
9/23/20259/16/20259/9/20259/2/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

2024

See also: West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024

West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Republican primary)

West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 14 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Riley Moore defeated Steven Wendelin in the general election for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Riley Moore
Riley Moore (R)
 
70.8
 
268,190
Image of Steven Wendelin
Steven Wendelin (D) Candidate Connection
 
29.2
 
110,775

Total votes: 378,965
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Steven Wendelin advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Steven Wendelin
Steven Wendelin Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
39,832

Total votes: 39,832
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Riley Moore defeated Joseph Earley, Chris Walker, Dennis Cain, and Alexander Gaaserud in the Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on May 14, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Riley Moore
Riley Moore
 
45.0
 
47,033
Image of Joseph Earley
Joseph Earley Candidate Connection
 
20.3
 
21,176
Image of Chris Walker
Chris Walker Candidate Connection
 
14.5
 
15,203
Image of Dennis Cain
Dennis Cain Candidate Connection
 
13.0
 
13,625
Image of Alexander Gaaserud
Alexander Gaaserud
 
7.1
 
7,453

Total votes: 104,490
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2022

See also: West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Incumbent Alexander Mooney defeated Barry Wendell and Susan Buchser-Lochocki in the general election for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alexander Mooney
Alexander Mooney (R)
 
65.5
 
160,493
Image of Barry Wendell
Barry Wendell (D) Candidate Connection
 
34.4
 
84,278
Image of Susan Buchser-Lochocki
Susan Buchser-Lochocki (Independent) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
115

Total votes: 244,886
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Barry Wendell defeated Angela Dwyer in the Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Barry Wendell
Barry Wendell Candidate Connection
 
57.1
 
22,139
Image of Angela Dwyer
Angela Dwyer Candidate Connection
 
42.9
 
16,653

Total votes: 38,792
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Incumbent Alexander Mooney defeated incumbent David McKinley, Susan Buchser-Lochocki, Mike Seckman, and Rhonda Hercules in the Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on May 10, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alexander Mooney
Alexander Mooney
 
54.2
 
45,164
Image of David McKinley
David McKinley
 
35.6
 
29,619
Image of Susan Buchser-Lochocki
Susan Buchser-Lochocki Candidate Connection
 
4.0
 
3,329
Mike Seckman
 
3.7
 
3,076
Image of Rhonda Hercules
Rhonda Hercules Candidate Connection
 
2.5
 
2,083

Total votes: 83,271
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

2020

See also: West Virginia's 2nd Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Incumbent Alexander Mooney defeated Cathy Kunkel in the general election for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alexander Mooney
Alexander Mooney (R)
 
63.1
 
172,195
Image of Cathy Kunkel
Cathy Kunkel (D) Candidate Connection
 
36.9
 
100,799

Total votes: 272,994
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Cathy Kunkel advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cathy Kunkel
Cathy Kunkel Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
52,896

Total votes: 52,896
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2

Incumbent Alexander Mooney defeated Matthew Hahn in the Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 2 on June 9, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alexander Mooney
Alexander Mooney
 
71.7
 
50,727
Matthew Hahn
 
28.3
 
19,989

Total votes: 70,716
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

West Virginia 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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Voting in West Virginia
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Ballot access

External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018


Senators
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Republican Party (4)