West Virginia State Senate District 13

Current seat holder: Mike Oliverio (R).

John Williams

John Williams is a Morgantown native and a current Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates who is running for the West Virginia State Senate’s 13th District. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and works as a financial advisor. He has also served as board president of Senior Monongalians and has been involved with Rotary and the Morgantown High School Foundation. Williams was first elected to the House in 2016 and the 2026 session is his 10th as a state legislator. He currently represents House District 80 in Monongalia County and serves as the minority chair of the House Finance Committee. His legislative work has included proposals involving early childhood education, public school funding, utility rates, minimum wage, healthcare and other issues. Williams announced his Senate campaign in December 2025. His campaign highlights childcare, healthcare, utilities and public education as major priorities. In the general election, he is running against Republican incumbent Mike Oliverio and Libertarian Taylor Richmond.

· Candidate campaign website & Ballotpedia (secondary source)

Campaign site

“Building a future where every West Virginian can thrive is the central focus of our campaign, but we're going to need your help growing our movement! Get involved now with the links below.” (John Williams Campaign Website)
“John remains dedicated to actively working on policies and initiatives that encourage our young Mountaineers, and others outside the area, to make Wild, Wonderful West Virginia their forever home. He continues that fight today, and he is committed to continuing that fight in the Senate.” (John Williams Campaign Website)
“We need more options for affordable, accessible childcare in our communities. For too many families, childcare is not a practical or reasonable option. West Virginians value family and want the ability to spend quality time together, John wants to make that desire a reality.” (John Williams Campaign Website)

Mike Oliverio

Michael “Mike” Oliverio is the Republican incumbent representing West Virginia Senate District 13, which includes portions of Monongalia and Marion counties. Born in Fairmont and raised in Morgantown, Oliverio graduated from Morgantown High School and earned both a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from West Virginia University. While at WVU, he served as student body president and participated in Army ROTC. He later served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve. Oliverio began his political career in 1992 when he was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates. He served in the Senate from 1995 through 2010 before returning to the Legislature in 2022. He changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 2017. Oliverio is a financial advisor. In the Senate, he chairs the Pensions Committee and the Interstate Cooperation Committee and serves on committees dealing with education, finance, economic development, insurance and PEIA, and transportation.

Campaign site

“I am concerned that this would give the flexibility to county school boards to opt for four day school weeks, and I think that would really create havoc on families in West Virginia,” (The Real WV)
“It's one thing to scramble and find childcare for a random day, on a snow day, or on President's Day. I think it's entirely different for a 35-36 week school year to be looking for child care every Wednesday or every Friday or whatever the case would be.” (The Real WV)
“In terms of national rankings, we already struggle tremendously with having available childcare as it is, and I'm just concerned that this would take us in a direction, while designed to give some flexibility and give some opportunities at that county level, that would really adversely impact families,” (The Real WV)

Taylor Richmond

Taylor Richmond (Libertarian Party) is a 2026 candidate for the West Virginia State Senate representing District 13 (Marion, Monongalia Counties) on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.

· Candidate campaign website & Ballotpedia (secondary source)

Campaign site

“I'm running because I believe that voters in the 13th deserve a distinct option and difference between the other two candidates,” (wajr.com)
“I'm the principled, pragmatic candidate who simply wants to get Charleston out of your lives, out of your wallet, and out of the way.” (wajr.com)
“We need to reduce and eliminate the 55-county Board of Education model down to a 10- to 12-school district model, and when we eliminate the administrative bloat that comes with that,” (wajr.com)