West Virginia's 1st congressional district

West Virginia's 1st congressional district is currently located in the southern half of the US state and includes Charleston and Huntington, as well as the smaller cities of Beckley, Bluefield, Lewisburg, Princeton, and White Sulphur Springs.

Responding to the census results, the state legislature adopted a new map for the 2022 elections and the following 10 years. It abandoned the practice used since the formation of the state of starting the numbering in the north, and rather divided the state in a northern and southern district, with the 1st being the more southerly one. The new 1st district contains the counties of Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Putnam, Raleigh, Roane, Summers, Wayne, Webster, Wirt, and Wyoming. For all intents and purposes, it was the successor to the 3rd district, and its congresswoman, Carol Miller, became the de facto incumbent in this new district. The state's other congressmen, Republicans David McKinley and Alex Mooney, were both drawn into the new 2nd district. All three ran for re-election. Miller was easily nominated in the Republican primary held May 10, 2022, while former 1st district congressman David McKinley was soundly defeated by 2nd district congressman Alex Mooney. Both Republicans were easily elected in November.

In its previous incarnation, the 1st covered the northern part of the state, and was historically the most regularly drawn district in the state. From 1953 to 2023, it was represented by only four men: Bob Mollohan (D) (1953–1957), former Governor Arch Moore, Jr. (R) (1957–1969), Bob Mollohan again (1969–1983), Alan Mollohan (1983–2011) and McKinley (2011-2023).

Despite the lack of turnover in the congressional seat, historically the 1st was not safe for either party. The cities are ancestrally Democratic strongholds, while the rural areas were much more conservative and had a tendency to swing Republican more often. As late as 2014, state legislators were roughly split between both parties.

For most of the 20th century, the Democratic vote in the cities was enough to keep the district in Democratic hands. However, West Virginia Democrats tend to be somewhat more socially conservative than their counterparts in the rest of the nation, and the district has been swept up in the growing Republican trend in the state at the national level. No Democrat since Bill Clinton (who did so by a plurality in a three-way race) has carried the 1st district in presidential elections. George W. Bush carried the district both times in 2000 with 54% of the vote and 2004 with 58% of the vote. John McCain carried the district in 2008 with 56.77% of the vote while Barack Obama received 41.51%.

History

Prior to the 2020 redistricting, the first district had always been anchored in Wheeling, and as such had always included Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, and Wetzel countiesWest Virginia Blue Book, pp. 534 (2012 edition)–the five counties usually reckoned as the Northern Panhandle. The original 1863 districting included also Tyler, Pleasants, Doddridge, Harrison, Ritchie, Wood, Wirt, Gilmer, Calhoun and Lewis counties. It was essentially the successor of Virginia's 11th congressional district.

In 1882, the counties of Tyler, Doddridge, Harrison, Gilmer, Lewis and Braxton were added to the core counties. In 1902, the core counties were joined by Marion, Harrison, and Lewis counties. In the 1916 redistricting it included only the five core counties and Marion and Taylor. The district was unchanged in the 1934 and 1954 redistrictings. In 1962, Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion and Taylor joined the five core counties. The 1972 redistricting added Tyler, Pleasants, and Woods and deleted Taylor. The 1982 redistricting added Taylor back to the district.

For 1992 the district consisted of Barbour, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Hancock, Harrison, Marion, Marshall, Mineral, Monongalia, Ohio, Pleasants, Preston, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Wetzel and Wood counties. In 2002 Gilmer was added. For the election cycle that began in 2012 the district was unchanged.

For the 2020 census, the legislature abandoned the practice of numbering the districts from north to south. The 1st was now the more southerly one, consisting of Boone, Braxton, Cabell, Calhoun, Clay, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Logan, Mason, McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Monroe, Nicholas, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Putnam, Raleigh, Roane, Summers, Wayne, Webster, Wirt, and Wyoming counties.

Composition For the 118th and successive Congresses (based on redistricting following the 2020 census), the district contains all of the following counties: #CountySeatPopulation5BooneMadison20,5767BraxtonSutton12,16211CabellHuntington92,08213CalhounGrantsville5,95915ClayClay7,78319FayetteFayetteville39,07221GilmerGlenville7,25425GreenbrierLewisburg32,14935JacksonRipley27,59339KanawhaCharleston174,80543LincolnHamlin19,70145LoganLogan30,82747McDowellWelch17,43953MasonPoint Pleasant24,76555MercerPrinceton58,05759MingoWilliamson22,02363MonroeUnion12,38267NicholasSummersville24,16971PendletonFranklin6,02975PocahontasMarlinton7,76579PutnamWinfield56,96281RaleighBeckley72,35687RoaneSpencer13,74389SummersHinton11,58199WayneWayne37,686101WebsterWebster Springs8,045105WirtElizabeth5,000109WyomingPineville20,277

Recent election results from statewide races Year Office Results2008 PresidentMcCain 54% - 43%2012 PresidentRomney 64% - 36%2016 PresidentTrump 70% - 26% GovernorJustice 55% - 37% Attorney GeneralMorrisey 49% - 47%2018 SenateManchin 52% - 45%2020 PresidentTrump 70% - 29% SenateMoore Capito 71% - 27% GovernorJustice 64% - 31% Attorney GeneralMorrisey 63% - 37% AuditorMcCuskey 67% - 33% Secretary of StateWarner 58% - 42% TreasurerMoore 52% - 48%2024 PresidentTrump 71% - 27% SenateJustice 70% - 27% GovernorMorrisey 60% - 34% Attorney GeneralMcCuskey 72% - 28% AuditorHunt 70% - 30% Secretary of StateWarner 72% - 28%

List of members representing the district Member Party Years Congress Electoral history District established December 17, 1863 Jacob B. Blair Union December 17, 1863 –March 3, 1865 Elected in 1863.Retired. Chester D. Hubbard Union March 4, 1865 –March 3, 1867 Elected in 1864.Re-elected in 1866.Lost renomination. Republican March 4, 1867 –March 3, 1869 Isaac H. Duval Republican March 4, 1869 –March 3, 1871 Elected in 1868.Retired. John James Davis Democratic March 4, 1871 –March 3, 1873 Elected in 1870.Re-elected in 1872.Retired. Independent Democratic March 4, 1873 –March 3, 1875 Benjamin Wilson Democratic March 4, 1875 –March 3, 1883 Elected in 1874.Re-elected in 1876.Re-elected in 1878.Re-elected in 1880.Retired. Nathan Goff Jr. Republican March 4, 1883 –March 3, 1889 Elected in 1882.Re-elected in 1884.Re-elected in 1886.Retired. John O. Pendleton Democratic March 4, 1889 –February 26, 1890 Elected in 1888.Lost contested election. George W. Atkinson Republican February 26, 1890 –March 3, 1891 Won contested election.Retired. John O. Pendleton Democratic March 4, 1891 –March 3, 1895 Elected in 1890.Re-elected in 1892.Lost renomination. Blackburn B. Dovener Republican March 4, 1895 –March 3, 1907 Elected in 1894.Re-elected in 1896.Re-elected in 1898.Re-elected in 1900.Re-elected in 1902.Re-elected in 1904.Lost renomination. William Pallister Hubbard Republican March 4, 1907 –March 3, 1911 Elected in 1906.Re-elected in 1908.Retired. John W. Davis Democratic March 4, 1911 –August 29, 1913 Elected in 1910.Re-elected in 1912.Resigned to become U.S. Solicitor General. Vacant August 29, 1913 –October 14, 1913 Matthew M. Neely Democratic October 14, 1913 –March 3, 1921 Elected to finish Davis's term.Re-elected in 1914.Re-elected in 1916.Re-elected in 1918.Lost re-election. Benjamin L. Rosenbloom Republican March 4, 1921 –March 3, 1925 Elected in 1920.Re-elected in 1922.Retired to run for U.S. senator. Carl G. Bachmann Republican March 4, 1925 –March 3, 1933 Elected in 1924.Re-elected in 1926.Re-elected in 1928.Re-elected in 1930.Lost re-election. Robert L. Ramsay Democratic March 4, 1933 –January 3, 1939 Elected in 1932.Re-elected in 1934.Re-elected in 1936.Lost re-election. A. C. Schiffler Republican January 3, 1939 –January 3, 1941 Elected in 1938.Lost re-election. Robert L. Ramsay Democratic January 3, 1941 –January 3, 1943 Elected in 1940.Lost re-election. A. C. Schiffler Republican January 3, 1943 –January 3, 1945 Elected in 1942.Lost re-election. Matthew M. Neely Democratic January 3, 1945 –January 3, 1947 Elected in 1944.Lost re-election. Francis J. Love Republican January 3, 1947 –January 3, 1949 Elected in 1946.Lost re-election. Robert L. Ramsay Democratic January 3, 1949 –January 3, 1953 Elected in 1948.Re-elected in 1950.Lost renomination. Bob Mollohan Democratic January 3, 1953 –January 3, 1957 Elected in 1952.Re-elected in 1954.Retired to run for governor. Arch A. Moore Jr. Republican January 3, 1957 –January 3, 1969 Elected in 1956.Re-elected in 1958.Re-elected in 1960.Re-elected in 1962.Re-elected in 1964.Re-elected in 1966.Retired to run for governor. Bob Mollohan Democratic January 3, 1969 –January 3, 1983 Elected in 1968.Re-elected in 1970.Re-elected in 1972.Re-elected in 1974.Re-elected in 1976.Re-elected in 1978.Re-elected in 1980.Retired. Alan Mollohan Democratic January 3, 1983 –January 3, 2011 Elected in 1982.Re-elected in 1984.Re-elected in 1986.Re-elected in 1988.Re-elected in 1990.Re-elected in 1992.Re-elected in 1994.Re-elected in 1996.Re-elected in 1998.Re-elected in 2000.Re-elected in 2002.Re-elected in 2004.Re-elected in 2006.Re-elected in 2008.Lost renomination. David McKinley Republican January 3, 2011 –January 3, 2023 Elected in 2010.Re-elected in 2012.Re-elected in 2014.Re-elected in 2016.Re-elected in 2018.Re-elected in 2020.Redistricted to the and lost renomination. Carol Miller Republican January 3, 2023 –present Redistricted from the and re-elected in 2022.Re-elected in 2024.

Recent election results 2000s

2010s

2020s

Historical district boundaries

West Virginia's 1st congressional district

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