West Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2024

	2026 → ← 2022
West Virginia's 1st Congressional District
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election
Election details
	Filing deadline: January 27, 2024
	Primary: May 14, 2024; General: November 5, 2024
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: Safe Republican; 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, 2024
See also
	West Virginia's 1st Congressional District; U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd; West Virginia elections, 2024; U.S. Congress elections, 2024; U.S. Senate elections, 2024; U.S. House elections, 2024; Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

West Virginia 2024 elections

U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • House of Delegates • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • How to run for office

All U.S. House districts, including the 1st Congressional District of West Virginia, held elections in 2024. The general election was November 5, 2024. The primary was May 14, 2024. The filing deadline was January 27, 2024. The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 119th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.

At the time of the election, Republicans held a 220-212 majority with three vacancies.^[1] As a result of the election, Republicans retained control of the U.S. House, winning 220 seats to Democrats' 215.^[2] To read more about the 2024 U.S. House elections, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 66.7%-28.8%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 69.7%-28.8%.^[3]

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Incumbent Carol Miller defeated Chris Reed, Wes Holden, Jim Umberger, and A. Warden in the general election for U.S. House West Virginia District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carol Miller (R)	66.4	228,491
	Submit photo	Chris Reed (D)	26.1	90,038
		Wes Holden (Independent)	7.4	25,616
		Jim Umberger (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	171
	Submit photo	A. Warden (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	3

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 344,319
= 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 1

Chris Reed defeated Jim Umberger in the Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Chris Reed	56.4	27,509
		Jim Umberger	43.6	21,253

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 48,762
= 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 1

Incumbent Carol Miller defeated Derrick Evans in the Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1 on May 14, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Carol Miller	62.9	65,343
	Derrick Evans	37.1	38,466

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 103,809
= 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.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Jim Umberger

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Hi, I’m Jim Umberger and I am running to represent West Virginia’s first Congressional District. Born and raised in Charleston, I’m a Combat Veteran, having served in the Army in Vietnam. I earned my undergraduate degree from West Virginia State University and a master’s degree in counseling from the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies. I have served on the boards of several organizations: Southeastern Regional Workshop (now Gateway Industries), Friends of the Greenbrier Center, Carnegie Hall Foundation, Carnegie Hall, Inc., and the American Red Cross (both county and state levels), and worked as a member of the Greenbrier County Planning Commission for six years. Currently, I am the treasurer of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of the 11th Judicial District of WV. It’s no secret that West Virginia has unique economic and social challenges. Our workers fueled the industrial revolution of the 20th century and America’s victory in World War II. Although the demand for coal will continue into the future, now is time to start diversifying economic opportunities in West Virginia. This region has grappled for years with the decline of the coal industry, and we need to address the problems created by unemployment and economic distress. I support innovative job creation for both small businesses and emerging industries, including both fossil fuel and renewable energy opportunities. We need to work together to define the future of our communities."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

HEALTH CARE Health and safety standards should be enforced to reduce injury and illness in the workplace. Access to medical and dental care is a basic human right. Women must have agency over their own bodies. Drug abuse continues to devastate our communities. Programs to combat the root causes of addiction and to support the people affected will only succeed with sufficient resources at the community, state,and federal levels.

EDUCATION The global pandemic shifted the landscape of education, highlighting the need for innovative approaches that cater to the evolving needs of our learners. Though challenges remain, West Virginia is poised to reimagine education for a brighter future. By investing in and empowering educators, allowing them the autonomy to use their training and expertise, we can equip our youth with the academic, vocational, and life skills they need to thrive.

NATIONAL DEFENSE The United States is the most powerful nation in the history of the world. As such, we have a responsibility to ensure our friends and foes have no doubt of our strength nor our intentions. Our allies should not have to question our support. Military spending should not be disrupted, nor promotions held up because of posturing and theatrics in Washington. Our service personnel are the military’s most valuable asset and should be treated with a level of respect that rises above political gamesmanship.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House West Virginia District 1 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in West Virginia

Election information in West Virginia: Nov. 5, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 15, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 15, 2024
Online: Oct. 15, 2024

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Oct. 30, 2024
By mail: Received by Oct. 30, 2024
Online: Oct. 30, 2024

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 4, 2024
By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 5, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 23, 2024 to Nov. 2, 2024

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. (EST)

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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/JimUmberger2024.jpg

Jim Umberger (Independent)

HEALTH CARE

Health and safety standards should be enforced to reduce injury and illness in the workplace. Access to medical and dental care is a basic human right. Women must have agency over their own bodies.

Drug abuse continues to devastate our communities. Programs to combat the root causes of addiction and to support the people affected will only succeed with sufficient resources at the community, state,and federal levels.

EDUCATION The global pandemic shifted the landscape of education, highlighting the need for innovative approaches that cater to the evolving needs of our learners. Though challenges remain, West Virginia is poised to reimagine education for a brighter future. By investing in and empowering educators, allowing them the autonomy to use their training and expertise, we can equip our youth with the academic, vocational, and life skills they need to thrive.

NATIONAL DEFENSE

The United States is the most powerful nation in the history of the world. As such, we have a responsibility to ensure our friends and foes have no doubt of our strength nor our intentions. Our allies should not have to question our support. Military spending should not be disrupted, nor promotions held up because of posturing and theatrics in Washington. Our service personnel are the military’s most valuable asset and should be treated with a level of respect that rises above political gamesmanship.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Jim Umberger (Independent)

ENVIRONMENT

West Virginia miners and oil workers powered the Industrial Revolution. While the industry continues to evolve and the world seeks next generation solutions, coal and oil will continue to be necessary for some time into the future. In the meantime, energy workers deserve safety regulations supported by legislation. Miners suffering from black lung disease deserve the benefits they’ve earned.

Global climate change is caused by the carbon emissions from human activity. Our oceans and streams are polluted and dying. We have an obligation to prevent industrial and agricultural waste from entering our necessary waterways. Our children deserve the best future we can give them.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Jim Umberger (Independent)

The skills Jim honed over a lifetime in service will help him bring civility, rational problem solving, and functional, collaborative governance to the state and country he loves. His campaign is guided by the same moral compass that has directed his life’s path; he simply cares too much to do nothing.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Jim Umberger (Independent)

When I was in elementary school and Alaska and Hawaii gained statehood.

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Carol Miller	Republican Party	$1,751,492	$1,725,385	$239,542	As of December 31, 2024
Chris Reed	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Derrick Evans	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Wes Holden	Independent	$39,231	$54,412	$-15,180	As of December 31, 2024
A. Warden	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Jim Umberger	Independent, Democratic Party	$80,166	$72,348	$7,818	As of June 7, 2024
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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.^[4]
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.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Race ratings: West Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2024
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 5, 2024	October 29, 2024	October 22, 2024	October 15, 2024
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican	Solid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe Republican	Safe 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

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in West Virginia in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in West Virginia, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
West Virginia	U.S. House	Ballot-qualified party	N/A	$1,740.00	1/27/2024	Source
West Virginia	U.S. House	Unaffiliated	1% of votes cast for this office in the last election, but no fewer than 25	$1,740.00	8/1/2024	Source

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2024 U.S. House elections in the state.
Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.

District map

Competitiveness
Presidential elections

State party control

Below was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in West Virginia.

West Virginia U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office	Districts/ offices	Seats	Open seats	Candidates	Possible primaries	Contested Democratic primaries	Contested Republican primaries	% of contested primaries	Incumbents in contested primaries	% of incumbents in contested primaries
2024	2	2	1	10	4	1	2	75.0%	1	100.0%
2022	2	2	0	13	4	1	2	75.0%	3	100.0%
2020	3	3	0	12	6	2	2	66.7%	2	66.7%
2018	3	3	1	18	6	3	1	66.7%	0	0.0%
2016	3	3	0	11	6	1	1	33.3%	1	33.3%
2014	3	3	1	14	6	2	1	50.0%	1	50.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in West Virginia in 2024. Information below was calculated on March 5, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Ten candidates filed to run for West Virginia’s two U.S. House districts, including three Democrats and seven Republicans. That’s five candidates per district, lower than the 6.5 candidates who ran in 2022 but higher than the 4.7 candidates who ran in 2020.

One seat was open in 2024, meaning an incumbent was not running for re-election. The other two election cycles this decade in which a House seat was open were 2018 and 2014.

Alexander Mooney (R), the incumbent in the 2nd district, did not file to run for re-election. Instead he ran to represent West Virginia in the U.S. Senate.

Six candidates—one Democrat and five Republicans—ran to replace Mooney in the 2nd district, the most candidates who ran for a district in 2024.

Three primaries—one Democratic and two Republican—were contested. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 3.2 primaries were contested.

One incumbent—Carol Miller (R)—faced a primary challenger. That’s fewer than in 2022 when three incumbents faced challengers.

Republican and Democratic candidates filed to run in all districts, meaning none were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+23. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 23 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made West Virginia's 1st the 21st most Republican district nationally.^[8]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in West Virginia's 1st based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden	Donald Trump
28.8%	69.7%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.^[9] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline	Republican Baseline	Difference
39.8	57.3	R+17.5

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in West Virginia, 2020

West Virginia presidential election results (1900-2020)

15 Democratic wins
16 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
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

See also: Party control of West Virginia state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of West Virginia's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from West Virginia
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	2	2	4
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	2	4

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in West Virginia's top three state executive offices as of May 2024.

State executive officials in West Virginia, May 2024
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Jim Justice
Secretary of State	Mac Warner
Attorney General	Patrick Morrisey

State legislature

West Virginia State Senate

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	3
	Republican Party	31
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		34

West Virginia House of Delegates

Party		As of February 2024
	Democratic Party	11
	Republican Party	89
	Independent	0
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total		100

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

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

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2018.