Shelley Moore Capito

Shelley Wellons Moore Capito (/ˈkæpɪtoʊ/ KAP-ih-toh; born November 26, 1953) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, Capito served from 2001 to 2015 as the U.S. representative from West Virginia's 2nd congressional district. She is the daughter of three-term West Virginia governor and six-term U.S. representative Arch Alfred Moore Jr.

Capito was first elected to the Senate in 2014, becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from West Virginia and the first West Virginia Republican to win a full term in the Senate since 1942. She was reelected in 2020.

Capito has chaired the Environment and Public Works Committee since 2025, and is the dean of West Virginia's congressional delegation.

Shelley Wellons Moore Capito was born in Glen Dale, West Virginia, on November 26, 1953. She is the daughter of Shelley (née Riley) and Arch Alfred Moore Jr., who served three terms as the state's governor. A resident of Charleston, Capito was educated at the Holton-Arms School, a private college-preparatory school in Bethesda, Maryland; Duke University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in zoology; and the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development, where she earned her master's degree. She is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and represented West Virginia as the 1972 Cherry Blossom Princess.

After earning her master's degree, Capito was a career counselor at West Virginia State University and director of the educational information center for the West Virginia Board of Regents.

Capito was elected to Kanawha County's seat in the state House of Delegates in 1996, and served two terms, from 1996 to 2000.

When Democratic U.S. Representative Bob Wise ran for governor in 2000, Capito ran as a Republican for the open seat in West Virginia's 2nd district. She defeated the Democratic nominee, lawyer Jim Humphreys, by two percentage points in an upset. She was the first Republican to represent West Virginia in Congress since 1983, as well as the first woman elected to Congress from West Virginia who was not the widow of a member of Congress.

Capito was reelected, defeating Humphreys again, 60%–40%.