OPINION by Hoppy Kercheval: Capito moves up the leadership ladder

Senator Shelley Moore Capito is in line to ascend to the fourth most powerful position on the Senate GOP leadership team when elections are held Wednesday. Capito is unopposed, so unless something unexpected happens, the West Virginian will be the next chair of the Republican Policy Committee.

“I’m very excited about being in this leadership position because you can really lead the agenda, you can lead the conversation,” Capito said on Talkline last week.

Capito’s power also extends to Senate committee leaderships now that the Republicans have gained the majority. She will be chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.

Capito is expected to use her position on the Environment and Public Works Committee to roll back regulations she believes are impacting the country’s energy sector, cut red tape that slows infrastructure projects and push for passage of a long-term transportation bill.

“We’ll be doing a highway bill next year, which has major impacts to West Virginia on projects that I’ve worked on throughout my career—but to put a bigger spotlight on Corridor H and King Coal Highway,” Capito said.

Capito’s ascendancy to become one of the most powerful members of the Senate has been a long climb that had humble beginnings.  The first entry into politics by the daughter of former Governor Arch Moore came when she ran for the House of Delegates in 1996.

That was back in the days of Democratic dominance and multi-member districts. Capito narrowly won a seat in the old 30^th Delegate District in Kanawha County when she finished seventh in the race for seven seats.

Four years later she won a Congressional seat, and that was also close. She beat Democrat Jim Humphreys by just 5,800 votes. After seven terms in the House, she ran successfully for the U.S. Senate in 2014 and was re-elected in 2020.

Chris Stirewalt, who covered Capito when he worked in West Virginia and is now in Washington where he hosts The Hill Sunday on NewsNation, said Capito has earned the reputation as a nose-to-the-grindstone legislator.

“Capito has been loyal to her party and to Senate leadership, but always careful, cautious, and earnest in her work. An honest broker, she doesn’t rush into coalitions but is good to her word when she makes a deal,” Stirewalt said.

“One also gets the sense that she cares about the institutional health of the Senate. Like Joe Manchin, she has been a jealous guardian of the Senate’s power, which has earned her the respect of her colleagues.”

Capito’s ascendance is reminiscent of the late Robert C. Byrd, who mastered the rules and procedures of the Senate, built relationships and worked his way up to serve as Majority Leader twice. It is unlikely Capito will reach the top position in the Senate, but her climb to the next level of Senate leadership with tomorrow’s election means the West Virginian will be a major player in the 119^th Congress.