# 1978 United States Senate election in West Virginia

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vte :
The 1978 United States Senate election in West Virginia took place on November 7, 1978. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph was re-elected to a fifth term and a fourth full term in office, narrowly defeating Republican former Governor Arch Moore. Despite his defeat, Moore's daughter, Shelley Moore Capito, would later win election to this seat in 2014, becoming the first female Senator from the state. This was the closest of the five contests Randolph faced for a full term.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Jennings Randolph, incumbent U.S. Senator
* Sharon Rogers

### Results

1978 Democratic Senate primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Jennings Randolph (incumbent) | 181,480 | 80.49% |
| | Democratic | Sharon Rogers | 43,991 | 19.51% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 225,471 | 100.00% |

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Donald G. Michels
* Arch Moore, former Governor of West Virginia

### Results

1978 Democratic Senate primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Arch Moore | 90,406 | 90.57% |
| | Republican | Donald G. Michels | 9,414 | 9.43% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 99,820 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Results

General election results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Jennings Randolph (incumbent) | 249,034 | 50.48% | 15.97 |
| | Republican | Arch Moore | 244,317 | 49.52% | 15.97 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 493,351 | 100.00% |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |