Tag: Democratic Party

Manchin Endorses Wheeling Mayor For US Senate Primary

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., endorsed Mayor of Wheeling Glenn Elliott for the Democratic primary election in this year’s race for the United States Senate.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has endorsed a potential successor in the race for his United States Senate seat.

Manchin released a video Monday announcing his support for Glenn Elliott, the current mayor of Wheeling, in West Virginia’s May 14 Democratic primary election.

“He has the determination, the vigor and vitality to do the work required to be successful in the U.S. Senate here in Washington, D.C.,” Manchin said. “He’ll show up every day to fight for West Virginia to create jobs, grow our economy and make a better life for our people.”

After serving as senator since 2010, Manchin announced he would not seek reelection last November, citing frustrations over a tense partisan divide in Washington.

Manchin’s decision opened the door for new Democratic candidates like Elliott, who are vying to represent their party in the November general election despite the state’s increasingly Republican base. Manchin is the only Democrat currently holding statewide office in West Virginia.

To secure a place in the state’s Nov. 5 general election, Elliott must defeat two opponents in the Democratic primary: former Marine Zach Shrewsbury and former coal executive Don Blankenship.

Elliott said he was “thrilled” by the endorsement, and that his reputation for “working across the aisle” and “getting things done” helped secure Manchin’s support.

“The senator has made very clear he thinks politics in Washington is broken. One of the advantages of being a mayor is — especially wherever a town like Wheeling is — you don’t really have the luxury of letting politics get broken,” he said. “You gotta get things done.”

With this fall’s general election looming, West Virginia’s U.S. Senate race has become a focal point for both the Democratic and Republican parties nationally.

Both chambers of the United States Congress are led by narrow partisan majorities, with Democrats leading in the Senate and Republicans leading in the United States House of Representatives.

Political analysts have predicted that West Virginia will likely flip to a Republican senator in this year’s general election, which would threaten the Democratic Party’s already tenuous Senate majority.

Elliott said that Manchin’s endorsement suggested that “he thinks I’m the best option to keep the Senate seat going forward.”

Now backed by Manchin, Elliott said he hopes his campaign will appeal to West Virginia voters seeking a candidate who can follow through on their needs in Washington.

“We need folks who have a record of getting things done and who are doers,” he said. “I certainly bring that experience and perspective to the race.”

Short List Of Replacements For Del. Walker Announced

The Monongalia County Democratic Party has released a short list of candidates to replace Del. Danielle Walker in the state House of Delegates. 

The Monongalia County Democratic Party has released a short list of candidates to replace Del. Danielle Walker in the West Virginia House of Delegates. 

Earlier this month, Walker, the only Black woman in the West Virginia Legislature, stepped down as delegate for the 81st House District to become the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia. She also stepped down from her position as the vice chair of the state Democratic Party.

The Monongalia County Democratic Party has submitted three candidates to Gov. Jim Justice for his appointment to the remainder of Walker’s two-year term, which began this January.

Candidates include:

  • Anitra Hamilton, president of the Morgantown/Kingwood Branch of the NAACP of West Virginia.
  • Emily Harden, a Presbyterian pastor.
  • Marly Ynigues, who is seeking a seat on Morgantown’s city council in Tuesday’s election.

In the announcement, Mindy Salango, Chair of the Monongalia County Democratic Executive Committee, said she was, “thrilled at the enthusiasm of the many Democrats who reached out to help fill the seat.”

The 81st district encompasses a portion of Morgantown, including the neighborhoods next to West Virginia University.

W.Va. Political Analysts Size Up Next Week’s Midterms

Both agreed the statewide Amendments on the ballot, especially two and four, will drive voters to the polls.

What do some of West Virginia’s political experts see as deciding factors in next week’s midterms?

Marybeth Beller has more than two decades with Marshall University’s School of Political Science.

Beller notes that two Senate and 22 House of Delegates seats are uncontested by Democrats. She said even though the state democratic party is reorganizing under new leadership, the disparity is disconcerting.

“It’s bad for democracy, not to have any opposition whatsoever, suggesting to the incumbent that he or she is very safe,” Beller said. “I think looking at it from a theoretical perspective, it’s always good for us to have challenges. Unchecked power is not healthy in our democracy.”

John Kilwein is the chair of the political science department at West Virginia University.

Kilwein said it would be a complete earthquake if anything changed in terms of the grip that the Republicans have on the state legislature. He said there’s despondency in the Democratic Party right now.

“If you go to their websites, it was clear to me that the Republicans just have it together right now,” Kilwein said. “Most every Republican link worked. Whereas democratic links, in some counties, they didn’t have somebody, you couldn’t contact somebody.”

Both agreed that nationally, the thought that a change in abortion rights would drive more women to the polls has been tempered.

Beller said a previous state abortion amendment that narrowly passed may set a women’s voting preference for this midterm election. In 2018, an amendment passed 52 percent to 48 percent, noting that nothing in the constitution secured or protected a right to abortion or funding for abortion. The amendment negated a 1993 Supreme Court decision that said low-income women had a right to an abortion with medicaid funding.

“There are a lot of angry women out there and maybe angry men,” Beller said. “The policy that the legislature has passed on abortion makes it so restrictive that it’s going to be very difficult for a woman to have access to that kind of health care. I think we could still see that being a big issue.”

Kilwein said with the expected dominance of incumbent Republican U.S. Representatives Carol Miller and Alex Mooney, the change in state abortion law won’t have much of an impact.

“Is it going to be that much of a factor that abortion would help Wendell to beat Mooney?” Kilwein said. “I just don’t think it’s going to be asking too much.”

Beller said 12 independent legislative candidates on the ballot is a high number for this midterm. She said those candidates could siphon votes from the Republican or Democrat, depending on campaign activity.

She said several races could be closely contested.

“In House District 26 you might want to look into incumbent Dr. Matt Rohrbach, R-Cabell, being challenged by Sydnee Smirl McElroy,” Beller said. ”McElroy is the granddaughter of Jody Smirl, who was in the House for many years and is beloved throughout the state. She could be a real challenge to Dr. Rohrbach.”

Beller pointed out two other races of interest.

“In House District 73. Majority Leader Amy Summers. R-Taylor, is the incumbent but she’s running against Mike Manypenny, who served in the House for many years and is well known to West Virginians. That could be a race that would be of interest,” Beller said.

“A big race to look out for though is in Senate District 13, is going to be something to watch,” she said. “Del. Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongahelia, has been in the House for many years and is very well respected. She’s now running for that Senate seat. She’s running against Mike Olivererio, who has also served in the legislature for many years. Most recently he lost a bid for a congressional seat.”

Kilwein said he would be shocked if the state republican supermajority didn’t stay the same or get higher.

“You don’t want to get into the habit of predicting that this is going to be this way forever,” Kilwein said. “It sure feels like there’s a pretty significant control of the legislature by the Republicans for the foreseeable future.”

Both agreed the statewide Amendments on the ballot, especially two and four, will drive voters to the polls.

May 4, 1887: W.Va. Legislature Elects Charles Faulkner Jr. to the Senate

On May 4, 1887, the West Virginia Legislature pulled its support from incumbent U.S. Senator Johnson Camden and elected Charles Faulkner Jr. of Martinsburg to the Senate. At the time, U.S. senators were chosen by state legislatures.

The move ended a legislative deadlock that had dragged on for months. Camden, a railroad and oil developer, was a controversial figure even within his own Democratic Party. Anti-Camden forces disliked his links to big business, namely John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company. As a silent partner of Rockefeller, Camden had forced most West Virginia oil companies other than his own out of business.

As a U.S. senator, Camden was one of the state’s first politicians to exploit his position for personal and business advantage. While in the senate, he speculated financially on West Virginia’s attempts to settle pre-statehood debts with Virginia, helped get Standard Oil into international markets, and repealed laws opposed by the oil industry.

In the 1890s, Johnson Camden returned to the Senate for two years, completing the unexpired term of John Kenna—all the while, becoming one of West Virginia’s richest men.

January 15, 2012: Former Governor Hulett Smith Dies in Arizona

Former Governor Hulett Smith died in Arizona on January 15, 2012, at age 93. Born in Beckley, Smith was surrounded by business and politics during his youth. His father, Joe L. Smith, was a newspaper publisher, bank president, mayor of Beckley, state senator, congressman, and state Democratic Party chairman.

During the 1950s, Hulett Smith rose through the Democratic Party ranks but lost a primary campaign for governor against fellow Democrat Wally Barron in 1960. However, Governor Barron appointed Smith to head the new Department of Commerce, which promoted economic development and tourism. Smith was particularly proud of his department’s support for traditional arts and crafts.

Smith was elected governor in 1964. During his term, the legislature abolished the death penalty, passed new human rights legislation, increased teacher pay, and launched a three-year school improvement program. Smith also pushed for what was considered the strongest strip mining regulations in the country at the time. He believed conservation and recreation would become cornerstones of the state’s future.

After leaving office, Hulett Smith returned to Beckley and remained active in private business and civic matters for the rest of his life.

GOP Gains Registered Voters In W.Va., Still Lags Behind Dems

Registered Republican voters in West Virginia have increased since Donald Trump won office but still lags behind Democrats entering a presidential election year, according to voter registration figures from the secretary of state’s office.

Overall registration numbers in West Virginia have fallen as residents continue to leave the state and elections officials removed invalid registrations, The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reported. 

There were 488,148 registered Democrats in the state at the end of December, a 14.5 percent drop since November 2016. Meanwhile, there was a 3.2 percent increase in registered Republicans to 411,872 since the election of Trump, according to Secretary of State figures.

There also were 278,851 registered voters without a party affiliation, a 4.4 percent jump from the 2016 election.

In 2016, despite registered Democrats far outnumbering Republicans in West Virginia, the state gave Trump his largest margin of victory — 42 percentage points. 

But the state has lost 83,119 registered Democrats since then and there are 32,393 fewer Democrats registered in the past year. GOP registrations have increased by 13,325 since Trump’s election and by 5,540 over the past year.

The overall number of registered voters in West Virginia was 1.225 million at the end of December, down 4 percent from 1.277 million in November 2016. 

West Virginia’s population has fallen for seven straight years. The state lost more than 12,000 people from 2018 to 2019.
 

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