West Virginia’s 2nd congressional district lies in the central part of the state, and includes cities like Spencer, Martinsburg, and Charleston. West Virginia’s congressional districts are divided completely along county lines. Mountains run through this district, especially in its eastern portions. This district has typically voted Republican since 2000, and is currently held by Alex Mooney of Charlestown. However, in 2014 the race was very close, with Mooney capturing 47.1% of the vote over his opponent, Democrat Nick Casey, who captured 43.9% of the vote. Before 2014, Republican Shelley Moore Capito had been able to capture nearly 60% of the vote in six consecutive races. Talley Sergent (D) is running against Alex Mooney (R) in 2018. Sergent studied journalism and mass communication at UNC Chapel. She has served as the director of strategic initiatives at the U.S. State Department as well as the West Virginia state director for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Mooney studied philosophy at Dartmouth. He has been a member of the Maryland State Senate and congressional representative from Maryland’s 6th congressional district.