This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives in West Virginia was Jan. 31, 2026.

Eight candidates — four Democrats and four Republicans — are running for West Virginia’s two U.S. House districts. That’s four candidates per district. There were five candidates per district in 2024, 6.5 in 2022, four in 2020, six in 2018, 3.7 in 2016, and 4.7 in 2014.

Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:

• This is the fewest total number of candidates who are running for the U.S. House since 2014.

• No districts are open this year, meaning all incumbents —both Republicans — are running for re-election. There was one district open in 2024, 2018, and 2014, respectively.
• Three primaries — two Democratic and one Republican — are contested this year. In total, there were three contested primaries in 2024, three in 2022, four in 2020, four in 2018, two in 2016, and three in 2014.
• Both districts — the 1st and the 2nd — have the same number of candidates running in each district this year. Four candidates are running in each district.
• Rep. Carol Miller (R-1st) is the only incumbent facing a primary challenger this year. There was one incumbent in a contested primary in 2024, three in 2022, two in 2020, none in 2018, one in 2016, and one in 2014.
• Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in both districts, meaning no districts are guaranteed to either party.

West Virginia and one other state — Nebraska — are holding U.S. House primaries on May 12, 2026.

In West Virginia, primary elections are determined via plurality vote, meaning that the candidate with the highest number of votes wins even if they did not win an outright majority of votes cast.