West Virginians have elected a newcomer to Congress with a long political pedigree, Riley Moore.
And state residents also re-elected Congresswoman Carol Miller.
In West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, which covers northern counties, Republican Congressman Alex Mooney opted to run for U.S. Senate – leaving the seat open to new faces. Mooney was defeated in the primary election.
Moore, the state treasurer from Harpers Ferry, is a former state delegate from Jefferson County and nephew of state Senator Shelley Moore Capito.
Moore received an endorsement in the race from former President Donald Trump, who remains popular in West Virginia.
The Democrat in the race was Steven Wendelin.
“It really comes down to bringing those West Virginia values to a place like Washington, D.C., which I’m excited to do,” Moore said on MetroNews election coverage.
The Associated Press called the race for Moore shortly after 8:30 p.m., and MetroNews followed suit.
Moore took office as state Treasurer in 2021 after defeating the longtime officeholder, Democrat John Perdue.
His office has been in the public eye in West Virginia from overseeing programs like the Hope Scholarship for students leaving the public education system, but Moore also has made frequent appearances on national political programs by taking on giant, national financial companies over how their investment practices relate to climate policies.
He was elected to the state’s House of Delegates in 2016 to a district that includes portions of Jefferson County, including Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry. Moore was defeated after one term by Democrat John Doyle, a longtime delegate.
Prior to serving in elected office, Moore worked as a national security staffer for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, as a contract employee for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and as an employee of the defense and aerospace firm Textron Inc.
He has a bachelors’ degree from George Mason University and a master’s degree in strategic security studies from the National Defense University.
In the 1st Congressional District, which covers southern counties, incumbent Miller of Huntington defended the seat she won in 2018.
Miller is a former state delegate.
The Democratic candidate was Chris Reed of Charleston. Independent Wes Holden, a former staffer for Senator Jay Rockefeller, also ran a vigorous campaign.
MetroNews called the race for Miller shortly after 8 p.m.
“I am honored to have won the election in West Virginia’s First District. Serving the southern half of West Virginia for the past six years has been an honor that I do not take lightly, and I will continue to enact policies that put West Virginians and Americans first. By securing the southern border, we will reduce the amount of drugs flowing to our state and country. American energy production must be at the forefront of our policies,” Miller said.