ALERT (03/07/2024): Due to a lightning strike, WVPB TV will be off the air in the Bethany/Wheeling area until new parts arrive. Thank you for your patience.
Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Capito Wins U.S. Senate, Helps Tip Federal Balance to GOP
Share this Article
A mere seconds after the polls closed across the state, national media outlets began calling the U.S. Senate race in favor of Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito.
The seat is being vacated by long-time Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller who announced his retirement last year.
For weeks, Democratic Secretary of State Natalie Tennant trailed Capito in the polls by double digits in some cases, but she remained confident Tuesday evening as she waved to potential voters on Washington Street in downtown Charleston surrounded by volunteers. That confidence, however, wasn’t enough to pull off a win.
Shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, Capito took the stage to accept her newly won seat.
“I want to be the first to share with you how optimistic I am about the future,” she said. “Around the state today West Virginia came together and made their voices heard to tell Washington that we can do better.”
Capito spoke to a packed room of supporters, saying it’s been nearly 60 years since the state sent a Republican to the Senate.
Just a few blocks away, Tennant conceded the race just after 8:30 p.m., thanking her family, staff and supporters.
“Tonight is not an end, it’s only a beginning,” Tennant said, “and I have said that West Virginia’s story all along is my story. I am proud and I look forward to writing the next chapter as your Secretary of State.”
Several new state laws are meant to help the state’s understaffed Emergency Medical Services. But maintaining statewide EMS operations remains a challenge.
Some West Virginia voters who applied for absentee mail-in ballots will see them in their mailboxes this weekend. These are sent out directly from county clerks.