West Virginia Democratic Party Mourns the Passing of Senator Jay Rockefeller

For Immediate Release November 6, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Democratic Party mourns the passing of former Governor and United States Senator John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV, who died Friday at the age of 89, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of public service and a lifetime devoted to improving the lives of West Virginians and millions of Americans.

“West Virginia has lost a giant, and our nation has lost a remarkable public servant,” said West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin. “Jay Rockefeller was born into one of the wealthiest and most privileged families in American history. He could have spent his entire life enjoying every comfort and opportunity that wealth could provide. Instead, he chose a different path. He came to the hills of West Virginia as a young VISTA volunteer, saw the struggles of working families firsthand, and made it his life’s mission to do something about them.”

Rockefeller first came to West Virginia in 1964 as a volunteer with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), working in the small coal mining community of Emmons. What began as an assignment fighting poverty became a lifelong commitment to the people of West Virginia.

He went on to serve in the West Virginia House of Delegates, as Secretary of State, as Governor from 1977 to 1985, and ultimately as a United States Senator for 30 years, from 1985 until his retirement in 2015.

“Jay Rockefeller understood something that too many people in public life forget: Public service is about serving others, especially those who have the least,” Pushkin continued. “He never forgot the families he met in the coalfields, the miners who risked their lives to provide for their families, or the children whose futures depended on having a fair chance in life. His compassion wasn’t just something he talked about. He turned it into action.”

Among Rockefeller’s most enduring accomplishments was his leadership in creating the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), enacted in 1997. His tireless advocacy helped extend health insurance coverage to millions of American children whose families could not otherwise afford it.

“Think about the millions of children who have been able to see a doctor, receive vaccinations, get treatment when they were sick, and grow up healthier because Jay Rockefeller believed that every child deserved access to health care,” Pushkin said. “That is a legacy that cannot be measured simply in legislation passed or elections won. It is measured in lives improved and, in some cases, lives saved. Generations of American families are better off because Jay Rockefeller cared enough to fight for them.”

West Virginia Democratic Party Vice Chair Pam Tucker Cline said Rockefeller’s life serves as an example of what genuine public service should mean.

“Jay Rockefeller didn’t have to come to West Virginia, and he certainly didn’t have to stay,” Cline said. “But he fell in love with our state and its people, and he dedicated his life to making their lives better. He understood the dignity of working people, the importance of education, and the responsibility we all share to care for our neighbors. He used the tremendous opportunities he had been given not simply to enrich himself, but to lift others up.”

“Every child who receives health care through CHIP is part of Jay Rockefeller’s legacy,” Cline said. “Every family that has been spared the impossible choice between paying the bills and taking a sick child to the doctor owes a debt of gratitude to leaders like Jay. He believed that where a child was born, or how much money that child’s parents earned, should never determine whether that child could receive medical care. That belief helped change America.”

Throughout his career, Rockefeller also championed the rights and health benefits of coal miners, fought to protect Medicare and Medicaid, advocated for veterans, and worked to strengthen West Virginia’s economy.

“Jay Rockefeller came from extraordinary privilege, but he chose to stand with ordinary people,” Pushkin said. “He could have lived anywhere in the world, but he chose West Virginia. He could have devoted his life to accumulating more wealth, but he chose to devote it to public service. And because of those choices, millions of people he never met have lived better lives.”

“His passing marks the end of a remarkable chapter in West Virginia history, but his example will continue to inspire those who believe that government can and should be a force for good in people’s lives.”

The West Virginia Democratic Party extends its deepest condolences to Senator Rockefeller’s wife, Sharon, their children, grandchildren, and the entire Rockefeller family.

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