CHARLESTON — State Sen. Tom Willis reported his first campaign donations since announcing his Republican campaign to challenge U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, but even with an additional loan, his funding is far eclipsed by West Virginia’s senior senator.

Federal candidates filed their October quarterly campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission by Oct. 15, covering donations and expenditures between July, August and September.

The Republican and Democratic primaries in West Virginia take place on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The candidate filing period begins Jan. 12, 2026, and ends at midnight on Jan. 31, 2026.

Capito, R-W.Va., raised $811,734 during the quarter, bringing her election cycle-to-date haul to nearly $3.7 million and leaving her with more than $4.1 million in cash on hand with one more quarter to go before the 2026 primaries officially begin.

During the quarter, Capito received $62,000 from political party committees; $288,366 from other political committees, such as political action committees, and $26,946 in transfers from other authorized committees.

Capito’s quarterly report showed support from several joint fundraising committees, such as One Team Senate Majority, a joint fundraising committee aimed at protecting certain Senate seats. Capito is also supported by other joint fundraising committees, such as the 2025 Senators Classic Committee.

Capito was first elected in 2014 to the Senate seat vacated by retiring Democrat Jay Rockefeller. She has served in Congress since 2001, first as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Capito is the fourth ranking member in the Senate Republican majority, the 18th chairperson of the Republican Policy Committee, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and chairwoman of a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Willis, R-Berkeley, raised $25,178 for the quarter and election cycle-to-date, having only just filed his statement of organization for his campaign, Tom Willis Victory, on May 21, more than a month prior to the end of the July quarterly reporting period.

That leaves Willis with $156,361 in cash-on-hand heading into the final quarter of the year, mostly due to money Willis loaned himself for his campaign. During the July quarter, Willis loaned himself $100,000. During the October quarter, Willis took out another $75,000 loan for his campaign on Sept. 30, the last day of the reporting period.

Willis won election in 2024 for a four-year state Senate term for District 15, representing parts of Berkeley, Morgan and Hampshire counties. During the 2024 GOP primary, Willis defeated former Senate President Craig Blair. Current Senate President Randy Smith, R-Preston, appointed Willis — a freshman — as the new vice chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee beginning with the 2025 legislative session.

According to his most recent campaign finance report through the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office, Willis still has more than $102,000 in outstanding loans from that campaign, with $92,841 remaining in his state senate campaign finance account. Willis raised $16,309 from a Sept. 8 fundraising event for his state senate account at the offices of the Hill Peterson Carper, Bee and Deitzler law firm in Charleston.

Willis – an attorney, businessman and West Virginia National Guard officer – was one of six Republicans in the 2018 primary for U.S. Senate, when former U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin was seeking his second six-year term as a Democrat. Willis came in fourth in that primary with just under 10% of the vote, with then-Attorney General (now Gov.) Patrick Morrisey winning that primary but losing the general election.

According to his FEC campaign finance reports for the 2018 campaign, Willis had loaned his campaign a total of $70,000. According to an Oct. 31, 2018, letter to the FEC terminating his “Tom Willis For US Senate” account, Willis said he was forgiving the remaining loan balance of $69,485.

The only other GOP challenger to Capito so far is Alex Gaaserud, a Randolph County native who moved to Wood County last year. Gaaserud’s FEC October quarterly report showed no donations, expenditures or cash on hand. Gaaserud attempted a run for the 2nd Congressional District, finishing last in the five-person Republican primary, won by eventual general election winner Rep. Riley Moore, the nephew of Capito.

On the Democratic side, Mercer County community organizer Zachary Shrewsbury raised $148,621 during the quarter and $397,072 election cycle-to-date, leaving him with $17,664 in cash-on-hand and $11,643 in debts and obligations owed to the U.S. Treasury Department. Charleston native Rio Phillips, who filed his statement of candidacy with the FEC on July 18, reported no fundraising for the quarter.