With less than a year until the 2026 Republican Primary —newly closed exclusively to registered Republicans — Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is trying to rewrite her record on electric vehicles. But Republican voters should take a closer look at the contradictions piling up like bad federal grants.
On one hand, Capito wants credit for blocking California’s so-called “radical” EV mandate. On the other, she’s been one of the leading cheerleaders — and funders — of a failing electric bus manufacturer right here in West Virginia.
Let’s get something straight: you can’t claim to oppose electric vehicle mandates and taxpayer-funded green experiments while at the same time handing out state incentives, federal subsidies, and glowing endorsements for GreenPower Motor Company, a struggling Canadian EV firm with deep financial issues.
Capito recently bragged in a press call that “under my leadership,” the Senate overturned California’s plan to require 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. She called it “unreasonable” and “very damaging to the economy.”
But that’s hard to square with the fact that just a few months ago, she was behind the wheel of a GreenPower electric school bus, praising it as “the smoothest driving thing I’ve ever seen,” during a photo-op at their South Charleston facility — a facility bankrolled by millions in state and federal incentives she helped secure.
She even touted the EPA grants issued to GreenPower through the very infrastructure bill she supported — the same grants that are now frozen under the Trump administration.
Capito now claims to oppose EV mandates, but continues to defend these subsidies and insists she still “believes in the product.” Which is it?
West Virginians deserve consistency… not campaign-season conversions.
Let’s not forget that GreenPower has failed miserably to deliver on its promises. The state was sold a dream of 900 new jobs by 2023. By the end of 2024, only 80 people were hired — and GreenPower’s stock had plummeted by over 90%, now risking delisting from Nasdaq.
These aren’t growing pains. This is a company hemorrhaging credibility, even as our state keeps footing the bill.
Yet Capito, along with other state leaders, continues to hail this as a “success.”
A success for whom? Certainly not for West Virginia taxpayers who are stuck with overpriced buses and empty factories.
It’s become clear that Senator Capito wants it both ways: oppose EVs to appeal to conservatives and coal country voters, but also embrace them when it means cutting ribbons and collecting headlines.
It’s the kind of political hedging that might have worked in past open primaries, where independents could tip the scales. But in 2026, that won’t be the case.
For the first time, only Republicans will vote in the GOP primary — and real conservatives should be asking tough questions.
Why is Capito attacking California’s EV mandate while pushing West Virginia into its own taxpayer-funded EV boondoggle?
Why is she demanding “commonsense regulations” from Washington while promoting a failing company propped up by government handouts?
This is not principled leadership. This is political positioning.
If Capito truly opposes government overreach and supports the free market, she should stop funneling taxpayer money into corporate welfare for electric bus manufacturers that can’t deliver on their promises.
And if she’s going to criticize Biden’s green agenda, she shouldn’t be advancing it under a different name.
The stakes are too high for Republicans to settle for double-talk.
In 2026, conservative voters will have the opportunity — and the responsibility — to decide whether they want a senator who stands firm or one who stands wherever the cameras point.
The time for straddling the fence is over.
