West Virginia Senate
2026 forecast. Updated October 22, 2026, 09:28 UTC
17 of 34 seats are up in 2026. Democrats are forecast to hold 3 seats after November (80% range 1–4) and Republicans 31 (30–33). In 1 seat a Democrat or Republican faces only independents or minor-party candidates and is counted as winning; in 2018 to 2024 such candidates lost about 3% of the time, mostly to sitting independents.
Initial version. This model was tested on every state legislative election from 1994 to 2024 before publication, forecasting each as if it had not happened. It beat the simple rule “the party that holds the seat keeps it”, and its chamber seat counts were off by 2.9 seats on average (target: under 3). Districts with no two-party race last time are read from their own presidential vote, a change tested in advance that cut their average error from 17 to 13 points. It missed one of its five accuracy targets: in 2024, the calmest year on record, its ranges were wider than they needed to be (92% of results fell inside its 80% ranges; target: at most 88%). Treat the ranges as cautious. The full test record and code.
Go to a district
Shaded by the chance of a Democratic win; pale dashed chips are not up in 2026.
Districts
Chance: of a Democratic win (in a district electing several members, of Democrats winning at least half its seats). Source: where the candidate list came from.
| District | Status | Candidates | Democratic chance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forecast | Laura Wakim Chapman (R), Shawn Fluharty (D) | 5% | official |
| 2 | Forecast | Chris Claypole (D), Toby Heaney (R) | 6% | official |
| 3 | Forecast | Caci Petrehn (D), Mike Azinger (R) | 4% | official |
| 4 | Forecast | Eric J. Tarr (R), Stephanie E Butcher (Libertarian), Zachary Abbott (D) | <1% | official |
| 5 | Forecast | Chris Miller (R), Duron Jackson (D) | 46% | official |
| 6 | Forecast | Mark R Maynard (R), Wyatt Lilly (D) | <1% | official |
| 7 | Forecast | Cindy Brake (D), Shawn Legg (independent), Zack Maynard (R) | 3% | official |
| 8 | Forecast | Kim Hundley (D), Lance Wheeler (R) | 9% | official |
| 9 | Forecast | Christy Cardwell (D), Rollan Roberts (R) | <1% | official |
| 10 | Forecast | Kent Gilkerson (D), Vince Deeds (R) | 3% | official |
| 11 | Forecast | Bill Hamilton (R), Kevin Leon Carpenter (D) | <1% | official |
| 12 | Forecast | Ben Queen (R), Lynette Murray (D) | 4% | official |
| 13 | Forecast | John Williams (D), Mike Oliverio (R), Taylor Richmond (Libertarian) | 73% | official |
| 14 | Forecast | Jason Armentrout (D), Jay Taylor (R) | 3% | official |
| 15 | Forecast | Darren J Thorne (R), Elizabeth Ferris (D) | <1% | official |
| 16 | No Democrat running: counted Republican | Jason Barrett (R), Travis L. Bost (Libertarian) | official | |
| 17 | Forecast | Tom Takubo (R), Wes Holden (D) | <1% | official |