Incumbent Rep. Carol Miller is facing a boisterous challenge from Derrick Evans in the Republican primary for West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. Evans, who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, has been vocally attacking Miller as the election approaches. Both candidates are strong supporters of former President Donald Trump, but they differ in their approaches and backgrounds. Miller, a 73-year-old bison farmer and small business owner, has served in the West Virginia House of Delegates and is the third woman from the state elected to Congress. In the 2022 primary, Miller received 66% of the vote, while this time Evans is her only opponent.
Derrick Evans, a 39-year-old who joined the West Virginia House of Delegates shortly before the Capitol riot, describes himself as the only elected official who stood behind efforts to halt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory. He livestreamed himself on Facebook cheering on what he called a “revolution.” Evans was arrested after the riot, resigned from his seat, served a three-month prison sentence, and then began portraying himself as a victim of a politically motivated prosecution. Despite his past affiliation with the Democratic and Libertarian parties, Evans is now running as a Republican candidate against Miller.
In the campaign against Miller, Evans has criticized her for not fully supporting Trump’s agenda, calling her names like “commie RINO” and “undocumented Democrat.” Miller, on the other hand, aligned with Trump in nearly all of her House votes while he was in office. Evans has echoed Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, while Miller voted to challenge the Electoral College results in two states won by Biden after the Capitol riot. Miller stated that she had a constitutional duty to ensure free, fair, and accurate elections, but did not directly address the outcome of the 2020 election when asked by the Associated Press.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary will advance to the general election on Nov. 5 to face either Democrat Jim Umberger or Chris Reed from Charleston. In the 2nd Congressional District, state Treasurer Riley Moore is among the candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the seat currently held by Republican Alex Mooney, who is running for U.S. Senate. West Virginia has not elected a Democrat to the House since 2012, and it was one of two states where Trump won every county in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Despite the state’s strong Republican leanings, the race between Miller and Evans could prove to be competitive and closely watched.
