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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Monday, November 10, 2014

West Virginia goes from Democrat to almost all Republican


GOP President Warren Harding

It's the 1920s all over again

  • The GOP will hold every U.S. House seat from West Virginia for the first time since Warren Harding's presidency in 1921.
  • The GOP takes a clear majority in the WV lower house and pulls even in the State Senate.


CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Republicans made a hard charge to power in the West Virginia legislature, taking control of the House of Delegates and pulling even in the state Senate.

The GOP hasn’t enjoyed a majority in the 100-seat House of Delegates since 1931 but made historic gains in Tuesday’s general election. Republicans closed the night with a 64-36 edge, picking up 17 seats after entering the election trailing 53-47.

“You’re going to see a major difference in the way things occur in Charleston,” said Tom Fast, who led the 32nd District race and became the first Fayette County Republican elected to the state House since 1928.


Democrats saw their 24-10 majority in the state Senate trimmed to a 17-17 deadlock. Among the most stunning upsets was the ouster of Truman Chafin who had served in the Senate since 1982. He was unseated by Mark Maynard in the 6th District that reaches McDowell, Mercer, Mingo and Wayne counties reports the West Virginia Metro News.

Republican victories in West Virginia's U.S. House and Senate races knocked history on its side.

With wins Tuesday by Alex Mooney, Evan Jenkins and incumbent David McKinley, the GOP will hold every U.S. House from West Virginia for the first time since Warren Harding's presidency in 1921.

Coupled with Shelley Moore Capito's win in the U.S. Senate race, Republicans will occupy four of West Virginia's five seats in the Senate and U.S. House and leave U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin as the only Democrat reports the Associated Press.

"You can see how this state is in transition," said Robert Rupp, a West Virginia Wesleyan political science professor.

In January, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin will be the only Democrat.

"Can you believe that, in anyone's imagination, they thought that would ever happen in West Virginia?" Manchin said Wednesday. "But things change."

While the needs of specific regions of the state are vastly different, voters sent a message against President Barack Obama's proposed environmental rules, including those on coal-fired power plants that spawned fears it could further cripple Appalachia's already-dwindling fossil fuel industry.

"The Democrats had an uphill struggle because of the liability of a very, very unpopular president," Rupp said.



A GOP Landslide
West Virginia GOP Senator-elect Shelley Moore Capito crushed the Democrat by 62% to 34%.  The last Republican U.S. Senator from the state left office in 1959.

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