United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia, 2014

District 1

Republican David McKinley, who had represented West Virginia's 1st congressional district since 2011, was re-elected in 2012. While McKinley had expressed some interest in running for Senate, he later declared he would not run. He filed for re-election to his House seat on January 15, 2014.

Glen Gainer III, the West Virginia State Auditor, sought the Democratic nomination unopposed.

District 2

Republican Shelley Moore Capito, who had represented West Virginia's 2nd congressional district since 2001, won her seventh term in Congress with almost 70 percent of the vote in 2012. She announced that she would not run for re-election, so that she could run for the United States Senate seat held by retiring Democrat Jay Rockefeller.

Candidates

Candidates

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District 3

In 2014, Democrat Nick Rahall, who had represented West Virginia in Congress since 1977, ran for re-election to the 3rd District seat, after having considered running for the Senate but instead deciding to run for re-election. Veteran Richard Ojeda ran against Rahall for the Democratic nomination, but lost. Rahall was considered one of the most "endangered" House Democrats by the House Democratic campaign committee. Rahall was endorsed by the National Rifle Association's Political Victory Fund.

For the Republicans, State Senator Evan Jenkins, who switched parties in July 2013, ran for the seat against Rahall. Jenkins ran unopposed in the Republican primary. State Senator Bill Cole, who had considered a run for the seat himself, was Jenkins' campaign chairman. Snuffer considered running again, but did not file.

In July 2013, Jenkins switched to the Republican Party in preparation for his run at the seat. On switching parties, Jenkins stated that: “West Virginia is under attack from Barack Obama and a Democratic Party that our parents and grandparents would not recognize." In 2012, West Virginia's 3rd district went for Mitt Romney 66-32 percent.

The National Right to Life Committee, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and West Virginians for Life, all of which had previously supported Rahall, supported Jenkins in 2014, and the West Virginia Coal Association endorsed Jenkins in September 2014. Jenkins supports the repeal of Obamacare, and states that he would replace the law. He also opposes federal cap and trade restrictions on coal emissions.

As of September 18, 2014, the race was rated a "toss up" by both University of Virginia political professor Larry Sabato, of Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Stu Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report. As of October 2, managing editor Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball said the race was still a toss-up, calling it "Super close, super expensive and super nasty."

A Fox News op-ed opined in October that Jenkins "offers Republicans the most credible nominee the party has had since the mid-’90s. In a race that will see as much advertising by third-party organizations as any House race in the country, the winner will be the candidate who voters believe will do the most to take on President Obama’s War on Coal and the EPA."

Through October 6, 2014, 16,340 ads had appeared on broadcast television, the second-highest number of ads of any district in the U.S. By mid-October 2014, it was anticipated that $12.8 million could be spent on ads in the race by Election Day. Rahall outspent Jenkins in the election by a two-to-one ratio.

Time magazine listed a Rahall ad in its article: "Here Are 5 of The Most Dishonest Political Ads of 2014," and the Washington Post ran an article regarding the same Rahall ad entitled: "A sleazy attack puts words in the other candidate’s mouth".

Jenkins won the election, defeating incumbent Rahall in November 2014 with 55.3% of the vote to Rahall's 44.7%.

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