BERKELEY SPRINGS — State Sen. Tom Willis officially launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate on Monday, delivering a deeply personal and emotional speech that connected his life’s trials to his desire to serve West Virginians in Washington.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters at Charlotte’s Café in Berkeley Springs, Willis shared a message rooted in faith, perseverance, and a call for change, pledging to fight for working-class families, veterans, and overlooked communities across the Mountain State.
“I hear you, because I’ve been there,” Willis said. “When I’m in the US Senate you will have a fighter for you that cares about you and that will defend your freedoms. This time we’re not sending a rubber stamp to Washington. We’re sending a fighter with scars, with faith and with fire. My name is Tom Willis. Stand with me as West Virginia rises up. Together we will show the world that West Virginia can and will lead this nation.”
Willis described his campaign as more than a political bid, calling it “the start of a new mission” rooted in shared heartbreak, persistence, and a belief in God and the promise of West Virginia and its people.
“Appalachia is in my blood,” he said. “It taught me what it means to work hard, to love fiercely, and to stand up for things that are worth fighting for.”
Willis recounted battles he has faced not only as a state legislator and U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret, but also in his personal life. From 2006 to 2008, he and his family fought to save the life of his first wife, a mother of two and a woman of faith who died from cancer. He described the period of raising his two toddlers alone, working multiple jobs and struggling through grief, until remarrying his current wife, Sara.
Later, his family endured another heartbreak when his son Hunter was diagnosed with cancer. For nine years, the family faced over 20 surgeries and hundreds of hospital nights. Despite the suffering, Willis said his son remained faithful and brave until his passing.
“He went through chemo treatments, saw 20 surgeries, and we spent together hundreds of nights in the hospital. Still he smiled, still he inspired. And though we lost him, I know he never lost his faith, and so he never truly lost the fight. He won his race, just like his mom. And together they’re in heaven with Jesus now,” Willis said.
He described these losses not just as personal tragedies but as life-shaping experiences that forged his resolve.
“These weren’t just personal tragedies, they were life shaping crucibles. They forged my character. They taught me that pain can either build you or break you. And I chose to let it build me and bring me closer to God.”
Willis said his suffering instilled in him a compassion for others and a drive to serve those experiencing hardship.
“West Virginia knows pain,” he said. “We’ve buried too many dreams in coal dust and abandoned small towns. We’ve watched jobs vanish, families crumble under the pressure of poverty, drugs and hopelessness. And our kids we’ve watched leave our state. We’ve watched communities get ignored by those in Washington who don’t even remember that we exist. But I haven’t forgotten.”
Willis emphasized that his campaign is not about personal ambition but about standing for those left behind.
“I’m running for U.S. Senate not to be somebody, but to do something for others,” he said. “I want to fight for families like yours, for parents sitting beside a hospital bed, for the coal miner who’s just been laid off, for the senior choosing between medicine and groceries, for the veteran sleeping in their truck after serving our great country, and for the single mom juggling two jobs and raising kids because Washington forgot about the working class.”
Willis concluded with a repeated call for West Virginians to rise up and take back leadership.
“West Virginia is rising up. I pray that God bless you, God bless West Virginia, and God bless the United States of America,” he said.
Willis will challenge Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who is expected to seek a third term in 2026. Capito, a member of the powerful Moore family political dynasty, currently holds the number 4 leadership position in the U.S. Senate Republican Conference and maintains a sizable campaign war chest.
