West Virginia State Senate District 11

Current seat holder: William Hamilton (R).

Kevin Leon Carpenter

Kevin Westley Carpenter is an attorney from central West Virginia. He is the Democratic Party’s 2026 nominee for House of Delegates District 63, which includes Braxton and Gilmer counties. In 2022, Carpenter first sought the seat. He was unopposed for the Democratic nomination but lost the general election to Republican Lori Dittman, receiving 28.9% of the vote. He returned to the race in 2026 and defeated Betsy Coulter in the Democratic primary with about 62%, earning a rematch with Lori Dittman in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Carpenter describes his legal career as experience advocating for individuals affected by government and legal systems. His campaign emphasizes stronger local communities, assistance for working families, fairness under the law and greater accountability in state government. Carpenter presents his candidacy as an effort to give Braxton and Gilmer residents a stronger voice in state decisions and make government more responsive to families, workers and small businesses.

· Candidate campaign website & Ballotpedia (secondary source)

Campaign site

“Kevin Carpenter isn't a career politician — Retired after serving the state 28 + years at the WV Department of Tax and Revenue, small business owner, and various community projects. He's a West Virginian who believes our communities deserve honest leadership, real accountability, and solutions that actually help people.” (Kevin Leon Carpenter Campaign Website)
“Investing in local infrastructure, schools, broadband access, and public services that keep our communities connected and thriving.” (Kevin Leon Carpenter Campaign Website)
“Supporting responsible policies that protect us and invest in future generations.” (Kevin Leon Carpenter Campaign Website)

William Hamilton

William David “Bill” Hamilton is the incumbent state senator representing District 11 . He is from Buckhannon and a member of the Republican party. His district includes Barbour, Braxton, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, Upshur and Webster counties. Hamilton served in the House of Delegates from 2003 to 2018 and was elected to the Senate in 2018. Hamilton is a retired independent insurance agency owner. He attended Buckhannon – Upshur High School and Potomac State College. Hamilton chairs the Senate Natural Resources Committee and serves on the Finance, Agriculture and Economic Development committees. During the recent 2026 legislative session, he was the lead sponsor of 14 bills, including proposals addressing the state road system, farm equipment repair and extended day care programs for elementary school students. In his 2026 re-election campaign, Hamilton has emphasized supporting the district’s natural resources and helping businesses establish operations and expand local employment.

“Consequently, they padded the quantity in anticipation of a much bigger storm or weather event than what we actually had. Consequently, we're not able to get any West Virginia coal-fired electric generation into the PJM. We have coal plants sitting idle today at a time when they ought to just be running wide open and our miners working around the clock to provide that base fuel.” (The Real WV)
“It's really discriminating, and penalizing our energy assets in the state that we depend so much on,” (The Real WV)
“And, our consumers benefit when these plants run at that higher capacity factor as well.” (The Real WV)