Lucia Valentine knocked on 4,000 doors to hear what Jefferson County residents cared the most about. Many of them shared her concern about data center development in the Eastern Panhandle and their inability to have any say in it.
Across the state, Democrats ran on campaigns to give back local control over data centers. And after over ten years of a growing Republican supermajority in the statehouse, West Virginians voted for a change in direction.
Voters in Senate District 13 replaced Republican incumbent Mike Oliverio with Democrat John Williams. In Jefferson County, voters elected Democrat Jenny Thacker, ousting Republican incumbent Bill Ridenour. Both Williams and Thacker campaigned against unregulated data center development.
In all, 21 Democrats were elected to the House. Three new Democrats were elected to the Senate, bringing the total to four, according to unofficial results.
In 2025, West Virginia lawmakers gave the state government full control over data centers, leaving communities in the dark. Only three Republicans in the House initially voted against it.
Over half of U.S. adults are concerned about data center impacts on communities, according to an August poll by the Associated Press.
In a speech in Georgia last month, President Donald Trump spoke about the controversy. In reference to other states trying to refuse data center development, Trump told the crowd to send data centers to West Virginia, where residents “will take whatever you don’t want.”
Trump won 70% of West Virginia’s vote in 2024, but in an election poll by survey firm SSRS, 54% of surveyed West Virginians said they approved of the way the president is handling his job.
And two-thirds of West Virginia voters surveyed said they opposed data centers in their communities. In districts like Valentine’s, voters are backing that up by electing lawmakers who promise to do something about it.
Valentine was elected to the House of Delegates, ousting incumbent S. Chris Anders, R-Berkeley. Anders originally voted for the bill that stripped local communities of control over data centers, but opposed it in a later vote and since sponsored bills that would propose safeguards for property protections.
Tuesday’s election results give Democrats in the Legislature options they didn’t have before. In the House, for example, they can force roll-call votes and slow down legislation for more discussion.
House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, said the Democrats are most looking forward to having enough power to call for roll-call votes.
“It really changes the game in what type of legislation could be done,” he said.
Hornbuckle said that the Democrats have gone from a small percentage of lawmakers to a vital voting bloc.
“The Republican Party is fractured,” he said.
Shannon Welsh, a Democrat elected to the House of Delegates, is looking forward to using the increased Democratic presence to stop Republicans from fast-tracking legislation “so the public actually gets time to see these bills.”
Deputy Speaker Matthew Rohrbach, R-Cabell, said that since there were so many Republicans in the legislature, losing a few seats only brings them down to a more realistic majority.
“To think that we were going to keep the historic numbers that we had simply wasn’t going to happen. I think everybody knew that.”
Valentine, an environmentalist, used to work as a lobbyist for the West Virginia Environmental Council. Now, she promises to represent her community’s interests: data center development, public school funding and proper infrastructure. She also campaigned on fully funding the Flood Resiliency Trust Fund.
“We won by talking to folks of all parties, focusing on local issues and finding common ground on the areas that we can all agree on,” she said.
Valentine and Welsh also both campaigned on affordability and economic growth. Forty-three percent of the West Virginians surveyed by SSRS ranked the economy as the most important issue facing the country. Two-thirds said the condition of the nation’s economy is “not so good” or poor.
When the legislative session begins in January, Hornbuckle, Valentine and Welsh said Democrats will focus on getting local control over data centers, better rates for state employees’ insurance, better water infrastructure and restructuring the way the state funds public education.
Rohrbach said the Republicans have yet to finish their agenda, but roads, public education and water infrastructure will be relevant.
As Democrats begin to take seats in the House, Hornbuckle says this trend will continue in coming elections.
“It was really encouraging to see the results,” Valentine said. “I think it just showcases the voters are ready for a fresh perspective.”
