WASHINGTON — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) has raised nearly $2.7 million since her last election in 2020 — but just a fraction of that total came from donors in her home state.
Federal Election Commission data shows Capito’s campaign has taken in $2,689,694.60 since 2020. Of that, only $16,704.22 came from West Virginia-based sources — a mere 0.62% of her total fundraising. The remaining 99.38% came from out-of-state donors.
One of the in-state contributions isn’t even from a private citizen — it’s a refund check from the State of West Virginia for $251.72.
The numbers underscore a growing concern among critics that Capito, now in her second term, is increasingly reliant on out-of-state funding and may be more accountable to large national donors than to the people she represents.
Capito sits on several powerful Senate committees, including Appropriations and Environment and Public Works — influential perches that often attract contributions from corporate PACs, lobbyists, and national advocacy organizations.
For everyday West Virginians, many of whom face economic hardship in one of the nation’s poorest states, the imbalance in donor geography could translate to diminished influence over the senator’s legislative agenda.
As Capito gears up for re-election in 2026, these figures may fuel debate over who truly benefits from her presence in the U.S. Senate — West Virginians, or the out-of-state interests funding her campaign.
