Photo Courtesy/WV Legislative Photography Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Tom Willis explains a bill on the floor of the state Senate on March 13.

CHARLESTON – U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is no stranger to candidates challenging her in elections during her congressional career, but this year’s primary features five Republican primary opponents who believe they are more conservative, including state Sen. Tom Willis.

Willis, R-Berkeley, was appointed the new Senate Judiciary Committee chairman earlier this year by Senate President Randy Smith, R-Preston. He served as vice chairman last year as a freshman lawmaker after defeating former Senate President Craig Blair in the 2024 GOP primary in the 15th Senatorial District. 

Despite not being halfway through his first four-year term in the state Senate, Willis filed for the GOP primary for U.S. Senate as Capito seeks her third six-year term as the state’s senior U.S. senator. Willis filed just two days after the start of the 2026 legislative session, a 60-day period that limited his opportunities to campaign.

“It was abbreviated. Session was intense,” Willis said during a recent interview at the State Capitol Building as he was traveling to a Lincoln Day Dinner in Putnam County. “It was my first year as a committee chair, so I was on a learning curve, obviously, the same when you start any new job.” 

But as soon as the legislative session ended on March 14, Willis was able to focus on his U.S. Senate campaign, going to events, putting up signs, knocking on doors, and getting his name and message out to voters. He compared his campaign against Capito to his 2024 challenge of Blair, a nearly 20-year veteran of the Legislature. Blair was elected to the Senate in 2014 and served as Senate president and lieutenant governor from 2021 to the end of 2024.

“I feel like it’s going really well, and it feels very similar to my last race when I beat the lieutenant governor where we were on a steep gradient where, as folks learned about me and then they compared me to the incumbent, they came over to Team Tom Willis. Now it’s obviously statewide, so it’s on a much grander scale, but the dynamics are very similar to my last race.”

Willis, who lives in Hedgesville with his wife Sara and three children, is an attorney and businessman, focusing on real estate, taxation, business planning, and commercial litigation. He is a managing member of Glenlock Legal and is licensed to practice law in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. He is also a lieutenant colonel in the West Virginia National Guard, with 22 years of experience as a U.S. Army Green Beret. 

Willis was one of six Republicans in the 2018 primary for U.S. Senate, when former Sen. Joe Manchin was seeking his second six-year term as a Democrat. Willis came in fourth, losing to then-Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who was defeated by Manchin in the general election.

Looking back at that 2018 race and his successful state Senate race, Willis said he learned several lessons, including the need to rely less on consultants and political firms and focus more on meeting voters one-on-one.

“You just really need to get out and meet the people. That’s the mistake I made, I think, in 2018 when I ran,” he said. “I corrected that mistake, and then in my last race, and I just ignored a lot of the noise from the political chattering class. 

“I just went straight to the people and just did a ton of town halls, a lot of door-knocking, just a lot of face-to-face conversations, sitting down at kitchen tables,” Willis continued. “Things like that really make the difference when you’re talking about especially West Virginia, because we’re a relationship state. We’re a warm, collegial state; we’re not a mass marketing state … And I think that’s the difference.”

Willis is one of five Republicans challenging Capito for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller until his retirement in 2014. Capito was the first woman to be elected to the Senate in West Virginia and the first Republican to win election to the Senate from West Virginia since 1957. Prior to her U.S. Senate election, Capito had served in the House of Representatives since 2001. She is the daughter of the late three-term Republican Gov. Arch Moore.

Capito’s other GOP primary opponents include Alexander Gaaserud, Janet McNulty, Bryan McKinney and David Purkey. But Willis said his electoral experience make him the most qualified and prepared to upend Capito’s career on Capitol Hill.

“I think the consensus across the state is that it’s time for a change,” Willis said. “There is such a thing as being there for too long and losing touch. My major beef with my opponent, with Shelley, in this race is that I think she’s veered away from our West Virginia traditional family values.”

Willis pointed to Capito’s vote in 2022 to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which placed regulation of marriage back in the hands of the states. He accused her of flip-flopping on abortion, though Capito voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that included a federal funding ban for Planned Parenthood and she was endorsed by West Virginians for Life. He also accused Capito of not supporting legislation to prohibit transgender girls and women from participating in sports with biological girls and women, though Capito most recently supported a failed amendment to the SAVE America Act that would have included such a ban.

Willis also highlighted his endorsement by the Gun Owners of America and his slightly better grade (A) than Capito (A-) from the National Rifle Association, though Capito has a lifetime A rating. 

He pointed to her vote on the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which encouraged states to adopt extreme risk protection orders, sometimes called red flag laws. These laws temporarily prohibit individuals who potentially pose a risk to themselves or others from purchasing or processing firearms. West Virginia has not passed a red flag law.

“I think that’s the reason why Gun Owners of America endorsed me and the West Virginia CDL (Citizens Defense League) endorsed me and the NRA gave me a higher rating in this race than Shelley,” Willis said.

Willis took issue with Capito not recusing herself from a vote last year on a slate of nominations by President Donald Trump, including the confirmation of her son, former House of Delegates member and 2024 GOP candidate for governor Moore Capito, who was Trump’s nominee for U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.

“There is such a thing as a swamp,” Willis said. “If you spend too much time in the swamp, you start to think like a swamp creature, and she’s got 30-some years total, and politics has been her career. … I’m a business guy. I’m a military guy, and I look at the world much more through that lens.”

Willis said he supports term limits for members of Congress and passing a balanced federal budget. He believes his special forces experiences and past deployments to the Middle East provide him with a perspective on national security and defense that could be pivotal as the U.S. fights a war with Iran.

“I think that you want to look for people that have a proven track record of success (and) a track record of wisdom or judgment,” Willis said. “I have a lot of experience in a lot of different sectors. So, I’ll bring that to bear for West Virginia … I think if you have leadership and you have experience, you’ll naturally rise to the top because you’re adding value.”

With early voting beginning Wednesday and continuing through May 9, excluding Sundays, before the primary election day falling on Tuesday, May 12, Willis’ message to voters wishing to reject Capito is to vote yes for Willis.

“We’ve skyrocketed, and all the momentum is with my camp now,” Willis said. “It’s a two-person race. So, if folks want to remove Shelley Moore Capito, there’s only one option to vote for.”