William Hamilton
William Hamilton (Republican Party) is a member of the West Virginia State Senate, representing District 11. He assumed office on December 1, 2018. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Hamilton (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the West Virginia State Senate to represent District 11. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on May 12, 2026.[source]
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Hamilton was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Economic Development Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Senate Government Organization Committee
- Natural Resources Committee, Chair
- Pensions Committee
- Workforce Committee
2023-2024
Hamilton was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Economic Development Committee
- Senate Government Organization Committee
- Senate Health and Human Resources Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Pensions Committee
2021-2022
Hamilton was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Banking and Insurance Committee
- Senate Economic Development Committee
- Energy, Industry and Mining Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Military Committee
- Natural Resources Committee, Chair
2019-2020
Hamilton was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Banking and Insurance Committee
- Energy, Industry and Mining Committee
- Senate Interstate Cooperation Committee
- Senate Economic Development Committee
- Senate Finance Committee
- Pensions Committee, Vice-Chair
- Military Committee
- Natural Resources Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chair |
| • Energy |
| • Finance |
| • Pensions and Retirement |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Hamilton served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chair, Natural Resources |
| • Finance |
| • Pensions and Retirement |
| • Senior Citizen Issues |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Hamilton served on the following committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Natural Resources, Minority Chair |
| • Judiciary |
| • Political Subdivisions |
| • Agriculture |
| • Agriculture and Agri-business |
| • Economic Development |
| • Joint Judiciary |
| • PEIA, Seniors and Long Term Care |
| • Water Resources |
| • Workforce Investment for Economic Development |
2011-2012
In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Hamilton served on these committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Economic Development |
| • Judiciary |
| • Joint Judiciary |
| • Natural Resources, Chair |
| • PEIA, Seniors and Long Term Care |
| • Senior Citizen Issues |
| • Workforce Investment for Economic Development |
2009-2010
In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Hamilton served on these committees:
| West Virginia committee assignments, 2009 |
|---|
| • Energy, Industry and Labor, Economic Development and Small Business |
| • Judiciary |
| • Natural Resources |
| • Senior Citizen Issues |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
See also: West Virginia State Senate elections, 2026
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.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11
Kevin Leon Carpenter is running in the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11 on May 12, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Kevin Leon Carpenter | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11
Incumbent William Hamilton, Robert Karnes, and Jack Reger are running in the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11 on May 12, 2026.
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2022
See also: West Virginia State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for West Virginia State Senate District 11
Incumbent William Hamilton won election in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 11 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | William Hamilton (R) | 100.0 | 23,105 |
| Total votes: 23,105 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11
Incumbent William Hamilton advanced from the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11 on May 10, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Hamilton | 100.0 | 7,091 |
| Total votes: 7,091 | |||
| = 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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2018
General election
General election for West Virginia State Senate District 11
William Hamilton defeated Laura Finch in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 11 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Hamilton (R) | 70.4 | 23,718 |
| Laura Finch (D) | 29.6 | 9,953 | ||
| Total votes: 33,671 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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 West Virginia State Senate District 11
Laura Finch defeated Margaret Kerr Beckwith in the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Laura Finch | 52.4 | 5,087 | |
 | Margaret Kerr Beckwith | 47.6 | 4,617 | |
| Total votes: 9,704 | |||
| = 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 West Virginia State Senate District 11
William Hamilton defeated incumbent Robert Karnes in the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 11 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William Hamilton | 62.3 | 6,523 |
 | Robert Karnes | 37.7 | 3,955 | |
| Total votes: 10,478 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Elections for the West Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2016. The primary election took place on May 10, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was January 30, 2016.
Incumbent William Hamilton defeated Tom Thacker in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 45 general election.[1][2]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 45, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  William Hamilton Incumbent |
76.02% | 5,332 | |
| Libertarian | Tom Thacker | 23.98% | 1,682 | |
| Total Votes | 7,014 | |||
| Source: West Virginia Secretary of State | ||||
Incumbent William Hamilton defeated Bob Kincaid in the West Virginia House of Delegates District 45 Republican primary.[3][4]
| West Virginia House of Delegates District 45, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | William Hamilton Incumbent |
65.19% | 2,215 | |
| Republican | Bob Kincaid | 34.81% | 1,183 | |
| Total Votes | 3,398 | |||
2014
Elections for the West Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 13, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 25, 2014. Incumbent Bill Hamilton was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hamilton was unopposed in the general election.[5]
2012
Hamilton ran for re-election in the 2012 election for West Virginia House of Delegates, District 45. Hamilton ran unopposed in the May 8 primary election and was unchallenged in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[6][7][8]
2010
Hamilton was re-elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates District 39 in the November 2, 2010, general election. He defeated Republicans Tom O'Neill and Jerry Reynolds in the May 11 primary. He was unopposed in the general election.[9][10][11]
| West Virginia House of Delegates, District 39 General Election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| William Hamilton (R)
|
4,765 | 100% | ||
| West Virginia House of Delegates, District 39 Republican Primary (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| William David Hamilton (R)
|
1,386 | 62.91% | ||
| Thomas Joseph O'Neill (R) | 537 | 24.38% | ||
| Jerry A. Reynolds, Sr. (R) | 280 | 12.71% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2022
William Hamilton did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2025.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
- West Virginia Citizen's Defense League — Legislators are scored on their votes on firearms issues.
- West Virginia Citizen's Defense League — Legislators are scored on their votes on firearms issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2024.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- West Virginia Citizen's Defense League — Legislators are scored on their votes on firearms issues.
- West Virginia Citizen's Defense League — Legislators are scored on their votes on firearms issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2023.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2022.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2021.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Americans for Prosperity - West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- West Virginia Manufacturers Association — Legislators are scored on their votes on the manufacturing industry.
- West Virginia Manufacturers Association — Legislators are scored on their votes on the manufacturing industry.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2020.
- ACLU of West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on civil liberties issues.
- ACLU of West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on civil liberties issues.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored on their votes on environmental issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Citizen's Defense League — Legislators are scored on their votes on firearms issues.
- West Virginia Citizen's Defense League — Legislators are scored on their votes on firearms issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2019.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2018.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
- West Virginia Citizen's Defense League — Legislators are scored on their votes on firearms issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2017.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Chamber of Commerce — Legislators are scored on their votes on business issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2016.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2015.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse — Legislators are scored on their votes on lawsuit-related legislation.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the West Virginia State Legislature in 2014.
- Regenerate WV — Legislators are scored on their votes for or against Regenerate WV's position.
- Sierra Club West Virginia — Legislators are scored by the West Virginia Sierra Club on their votes on the Water Resources Protection Act and its amendments.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- West Virginia Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse — Legislators are scored on their votes on lawsuit-related legislation.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed November 4, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "2016 official general election results," accessed May 3, 2017
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate Listing by Office," accessed January 30, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 10, 2016," accessed August 2, 2016
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Candidate search," accessed April 30, 2014
- ↑ WBOY.com, "West Virginia General Election Results November 6, 2012," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - General Election - November 6, 2012," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 8, 2012," accessed February 12, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - General Election - November 2, 2010," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Statewide Results - Primary Election - May 11, 2010," accessed February 11, 2014
- ↑ West Virginia Secretary of State, "Election Results," accessed April 30, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Karnes (R) |
West Virginia State Senate District 11 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
West Virginia House of Delegates District 45 2002-2018 |
Succeeded by Carl Martin (R) |
