Shelley Moore Capito

Shelley Moore Capito
Born	Shelley Wellons Moore 26 11, 1953
Birthplace	Glen Dale, West Virginia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Title	United States Senator from West Virginia
Known for	First woman elected to the United States Senate from West Virginia
Education	Duke University (B.S.); University of Virginia (M.Ed.)
Website	[[capito.senate.gov capito.senate.gov] Official site]

Shelley Moore Capito (Template:IPAc-en; born November 26, 1953) is an American politician who has served as the senior United States senator from West Virginia since January 2015. A member of the Republican Party, she previously represented West Virginia's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2015. Born into a prominent West Virginia political family as the daughter of Arch Alfred Moore Jr., who served three terms as governor and six terms as a U.S. representative, Capito forged her own path in the state's political landscape over a career spanning more than three decades. In 2014, she became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from West Virginia and the first Republican from the state to win a full Senate term since 1942. She was reelected in 2020 and has served as chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee since January 2025. Capito also chairs the Senate Republican Policy Committee and serves as a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee. She is the dean of West Virginia's congressional delegation.

Early Life

Shelley Wellons Moore was born on November 26, 1953, in Glen Dale, West Virginia, a small community in Marshall County in the state's Northern Panhandle. She grew up in a family deeply embedded in West Virginia politics. Her father, Arch Alfred Moore Jr., was a significant figure in the state's Republican Party, serving six terms as a U.S. representative from West Virginia's 1st congressional district before being elected governor of West Virginia three times (1969–1977 and 1985–1989).

Growing up in a political household provided Capito with early exposure to public service and the mechanics of government. Her father's long career in both Congress and the governor's mansion meant that politics and governance were central to family life. This background gave her familiarity with campaigning, constituent service, and the legislative process from a young age.

Capito attended the Holton-Arms School, a private all-girls college preparatory school in Bethesda, Maryland. Her time at Holton-Arms placed her in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area during a period when her father was serving in Congress, and the school's emphasis on leadership and academic rigor helped shape her formative years.

Education

Capito pursued her undergraduate education at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology. She later obtained a Master of Education degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. During her time at Duke, Capito was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, part of the Greek system that would later be noted in surveys of Greek-affiliated members of Congress. Her educational background in both the sciences and education informed her later career, as she worked in various capacities before entering politics.

Career

Early Career and West Virginia Legislature

Before entering federal politics, Capito built a career that drew on her educational background. She worked in a number of roles, including positions related to education and public policy in West Virginia. Her entry into elected office came when she won a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates, where she served two terms, representing a district in the Kanawha Valley area. Her tenure in the state legislature provided her with legislative experience and a record that she would later draw upon in her campaigns for federal office.

U.S. House of Representatives (2001–2015)

In 2000, Capito ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in West Virginia's 2nd congressional district, which encompassed a large portion of the state including the capital city of Charleston. She won the seat, making her the first Republican to represent the district in more than two decades. Her victory was notable in a state that had long leaned toward the Democratic Party in its congressional representation.

Capito was reelected six times, serving seven terms in the House from January 2001 to January 2015. During her time in the House, she often won by substantial margins, reflecting her popularity in the district. In 2008, she won reelection by a wide margin in a year when national political trends were otherwise unfavorable for Republican candidates.

During her House tenure, Capito served on several committees and developed expertise in financial services, transportation, and infrastructure issues. She was a member of the House Afterschool Caucus, reflecting her interest in educational issues. Her legislative priorities in the House frequently centered on issues of importance to West Virginia, including economic development, energy policy, and infrastructure investment.

Capito's ability to hold and repeatedly win a congressional seat in West Virginia as a Republican during a period when the state was still largely represented by Democrats at the federal level demonstrated her crossover appeal and established her as one of the state's most prominent Republican elected officials. Her incumbency and name recognition, combined with her father's legacy in state politics, made her one of the most recognizable political figures in West Virginia.

2014 U.S. Senate Campaign

When longtime Democratic Senator Jay Rockefeller announced in January 2013 that he would not seek reelection in 2014, Capito quickly emerged as a leading candidate for the open seat. She launched her campaign and became the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Her candidacy was significant in the context of West Virginia's shifting political alignment; the state had been trending Republican in presidential elections, but its congressional delegation had remained largely Democratic.

Capito won the Republican primary and went on to win the general election, becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from West Virginia. She was also the first Republican from West Virginia to win a full term in the Senate since Chapman Revercomb in 1942, a gap of more than seven decades. Her victory was part of a broader Republican wave in the 2014 midterm elections, during which the party gained a majority in the Senate. Energy policy and the coal industry were central issues in the campaign, with Capito aligning herself with West Virginia's coal-dependent economy and opposing the Obama administration's environmental regulations.

U.S. Senate (2015–present)

Capito took office on January 3, 2015, succeeding Jay Rockefeller. As a senator, she has focused on issues including infrastructure, energy, the environment, broadband internet access, and the opioid epidemic, which has disproportionately affected West Virginia.

Capito has served on several key Senate committees during her tenure. She became the ranking Republican member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in February 2021 and assumed the chairmanship of that committee in January 2025, following the Republican takeover of the Senate majority. In that role, she oversees legislation and oversight related to environmental policy, public works, infrastructure, and related matters. Her position on the committee has placed her at the center of debates over environmental regulation, infrastructure spending, and climate policy.

In addition to her role on the Environment and Public Works Committee, Capito has served as a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she has directed federal funding to West Virginia projects. Recent examples of her appropriations work include securing $5.46 million for the reconstruction of the Fred Workman Bridge in Ronceverte and announcing nearly $32 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for a new facility at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University. She has also toured Congressionally Directed Spending projects across the state, including visits to Putnam County, Cabell County, and Mercer County.

Within the Republican conference, Capito has held leadership positions. She served as vice chair of the Senate Republican Conference from January 2023 to January 2025, a role in which she assisted in shaping the party's messaging and legislative strategy. In January 2025, she became chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee under Senate Majority Leader John Thune. These leadership positions reflect her standing within the Republican caucus and her influence on party policy.

2020 Reelection

Capito ran for reelection in 2020 and won by a substantial margin, reflecting West Virginia's continued shift toward the Republican Party at the federal level. Her reelection confirmed her position as the state's senior senator and its most prominent Republican officeholder. She currently serves alongside junior Senator Jim Justice, who took office in 2025.

Infrastructure and Bipartisan Negotiations

During the 117th Congress, Capito was involved in bipartisan negotiations over infrastructure legislation. As a senior Republican with expertise in transportation and infrastructure issues from her time in the House and her role on the Environment and Public Works Committee, she participated in discussions with the Biden administration over a potential infrastructure package. While the negotiations between Capito and President Biden ultimately did not produce a bipartisan agreement, the discussions highlighted her role as a key Republican voice on infrastructure policy.

Energy and Environmental Policy

Representing a state with a long history of coal mining and significant natural gas production, Capito has been a consistent advocate for fossil fuel industries. She has opposed regulations that she has argued would harm West Virginia's energy sector and has supported legislation aimed at promoting domestic energy production. Her chairmanship of the Environment and Public Works Committee beginning in 2025 has given her a significant platform to influence environmental and energy policy at the federal level.

Opioid Crisis

West Virginia has been one of the states most severely affected by the opioid epidemic, and Capito has made addressing the crisis a legislative priority. She has supported funding for treatment, prevention, and law enforcement efforts related to substance abuse, and has advocated for federal resources to combat the epidemic in her state.

Broadband Access

Capito has also been an advocate for expanding broadband internet access in West Virginia, where rural geography has made connectivity a persistent challenge. She has supported federal programs aimed at extending broadband infrastructure to underserved areas, arguing that internet access is essential for economic development, education, and healthcare in the state.

Personal Life

Shelley Moore married Charles L. Capito. They have three children. The family has resided in Charleston, West Virginia. Capito's deep roots in West Virginia extend through both her birth family and her married life, with her father's political career having established the Moore name as one of the most recognized in state politics.

Capito has spoken publicly about her family's connection to West Virginia and her commitment to the state. In a 2003 interview on C-SPAN's Q&A program, she discussed her background, her family's political legacy, and her career in public service.

Recognition

Capito's election to the U.S. Senate in 2014 was itself a historic milestone, as she became the first woman to represent West Virginia in the Senate and the first Republican to win a full Senate term from the state in more than seven decades. This achievement was noted in national and state media coverage of the 2014 elections.

Her rise to leadership positions within the Senate Republican conference—serving as vice chair of the Republican Conference and later as chair of the Republican Policy Committee—has reflected her growing influence within the party. Her chairmanship of the Environment and Public Works Committee, one of the Senate's most consequential panels for infrastructure and environmental legislation, has further elevated her profile in Washington.

Capito's career in Congress, spanning more than two decades between the House and Senate, has made her one of the longest-serving members of West Virginia's congressional delegation. As the dean of the state's delegation, she holds a position of seniority that reflects her sustained electoral success and longevity in federal office.

Her work securing federal funding for West Virginia projects through the Appropriations Committee has been a consistent theme of her Senate tenure, with recent efforts including significant investments in infrastructure, healthcare facilities, and community development projects across the state.

Legacy

Capito's political career is notable for several reasons within the context of West Virginia and national politics. She has been a central figure in the transformation of West Virginia's political landscape from a state that was long a Democratic stronghold to one that has become reliably Republican at the federal level. Her initial election to the House in 2000, when she became the first Republican to represent the 2nd congressional district in more than twenty years, foreshadowed this broader realignment. Her 2014 Senate victory further cemented the trend.

As the daughter of Arch Alfred Moore Jr. and a multi-term member of Congress in her own right, Capito represents one of West Virginia's most enduring political dynasties. Her career parallels and in some respects extends her father's legacy, though in a different political era and institutional context. Where her father served in the House and as governor during a period of Democratic dominance in the state, Capito has served during a period of Republican ascendancy.

Her tenure as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee places her at the intersection of energy policy, environmental regulation, and infrastructure investment—issues that are of particular importance to West Virginia and to national debates over economic and environmental policy. Her positions on these issues, shaped by her representation of a state with significant fossil fuel industries, have made her a key figure in ongoing policy discussions.

Capito's status as the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from West Virginia marks a significant milestone in the state's political history. West Virginia was one of the last states to send a woman to the Senate, and Capito's election in 2014 closed that gap.