Jay Wolfe was the Republican candidate for the United States Senate six years ago. He lost the race to incumbent Jay Rockefeller. As of Saturday night, Wolfe is the lone Republican running for the same seat. The Republican from Harrison County signed up Saturday night.

Current Senator Jay Rockefeller announced his re-election bid last weekend in Charleston and other cities across the state. Some observers, including the chair of the state Republican party, pointed out the wealthy senator's ability to spend money might scare away potential opponents.

According to the Secretary of State's website, Rockefeller has two opponents in the primary. Sheirl Fletcher from Monongalia County filed Saturday night too. Earlier this week, Billy Hendricks Jr. from Boone County filed to run for the United States Senate seat. Fletcher was a Republican when she served in the House of Delegates, but is listed as a Democrat on the secretary's election website.

In 2002, Rockefeller beat Wolfe with 63% of the vote to win re-election.