Incumbent Democrat
Nick Rahall, who had represented the district since 1977, ran for re-election after having considered running for the Senate.
Democratic primary Candidates Nominee •
Nick Rahall, incumbent U.S. Representative
Eliminated in primary •
Richard Ojeda, veteran
Results Republican primary For the Republicans, State Senator
Evan Jenkins, who switched parties in July 2013, ran for the seat against Rahall. On switching parties, Jenkins stated that: "West Virginia is under attack from Barack Obama and a Democratic Party that our parents and grandparents would not recognize." State Senator
Bill Cole, who had considered a run for the seat himself, was Jenkins' campaign chairman.
Candidates Nominee •
Evan Jenkins, state senator
Results Jenkins ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
General election Campaign Rahall was considered one of the most "endangered" House Democrats by the House Democratic campaign committee. Jenkins supported the repeal of
Obamacare and pledged to replace it. As of September 18, 2014, the race was rated a "toss up" by both University of Virginia political professor
Larry Sabato, of
Sabato's Crystal Ball, and
Stu Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report. As of October 2, managing editor Kyle Kondik of Sabato's Crystal Ball said the race was still a toss-up, calling it "Super close, super expensive and super nasty." A
Fox News op-ed opined in October that Jenkins "offers Republicans the most credible nominee the party has had since the mid-'90s. In a race that will see as much advertising by third-party organizations as any House race in the country, the winner will be the candidate who voters believe will do the most to take on President Obama's War on Coal and the EPA." Through October 6, 2014, 16,340 ads had appeared on broadcast television, the second-highest number of ads of any district in the U.S. By mid-October 2014, it was anticipated that $12.8 million could be spent on ads in the race by Election Day. Rahall outspent Jenkins in the election by a two-to-one ratio.
Time listed a Rahall ad in its article: "Here Are 5 of The Most Dishonest Political Ads of 2014," and
The Washington Post ran an article regarding the same Rahall ad entitled: "A sleazy attack puts words in the other candidate's mouth".
Endorsements Rahall was endorsed by the
NRA Political Victory Fund. The
National Right to Life Committee, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and West Virginians for Life, all of which had previously supported Rahall, supported Jenkins in 2014, and the
West Virginia Coal Association endorsed Jenkins in September 2014.
Polling Predictions Results Jenkins won the election, defeating incumbent Rahall in November 2014 with 55.3% of the vote to Rahall's 44.7%. ==See also==