State Senator Tom Willis is preparing a campaign for U.S. Senate.
“This isn’t our big launch. We’re kind of just doing a soft launch right now. We’re focused on our infrastructure,” Willis, a Republican from Berkeley County, told reporter Luke Wiggs of WEPM Radio.
“We’re in it. We’re in it to win, and all the way to next year.”
A political organization called “Tom Willis Victory” has filed official documentation with the Federal Election Commission.
The next Senate seat up for West Virginia in 2026 is the one currently held by Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican who took office in 2015. Capito just last week received an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
“Senator Shelley Moore Capito has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election -SHE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote.
Willis was just elected to the state Senate last year, defeating incumbent Senate President Craig Blair. Willis is a former U.S. Army Green Beret and a lawyer.
He ran for U.S. Senate in 2018, coming in fourth in the Republican primary.
Additional announced candidates for the Republican Primary for U.S. Senate in 2026 are Derrick Evans, and Alexander Gaaserud.