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Randolph County Registered Voter Count Sways From Blue To Red

Randolph County has more registered Republican voters than Democrats, at least for Wednesday.

Randolph County has more registered Republican voters than Democrats, at least as of Wednesday.

It’s been a Democratic stronghold since the Great Depression. But officials at the Randolph County Clerk’s office said the registered voter count on Wednesday was 6,242 Republicans, 6,238 Democrats, a difference of four. On Monday, the count was a difference of seven, again favoring the GOP.

One clerk’s office employee there said in her 17 years working at the Randolph County Courthouse, she’s never seen more Republicans registered than Democrats. She also said those numbers can fluctuate daily, depending on DMV registrations and other factors.

A local Inter-Mountain newspaper headline said “Randolph officially now a ‘red county’. In the article, Carolyn Jackson of the Randolph County Republican Executive Committee called this “truly an historic moment. It shows that people are coming around to the Republican way of looking at things.”

Randolph County Democratic Party Chair Cindy Stemple said the shifting numbers don’t tell who will actually go and vote.

“We aren’t really focused so much on those numbers,” Stemple said. “We’re focused on the good work that we’re doing, with the understanding that those numbers change on a daily basis. We’ve been trying to keep track of the people who vote or who have registered as Independents. I think that we need to factor in that as well.”

Stemple said the Randolph County Democratic Party is working to run a candidate in every race. She said she knows things will not change overnight and Democrats have challenges ahead.

“It’s a challenge to get people to run,” Stemple said. “I’m not minimizing that. But we have to start somewhere. I think things have changed over the past 30 years. We have to adapt to those changes. That doesn’t mean we’re going to change our inclusivity or our policies, but we need to find people who are brave enough to run, and we will give them all the support that we possibly can.”

Stemple says instead of red or blue, maybe Randolph is a “purple” county.

WVPB reached out to Randolph County Republican Party members for comment. We had not received a response by the time of publication.

Manchin’s Retirement Leaves A Statewide Void For Democrats

The retirement of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin marks the end of an era, as Manchin is the last Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia. Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University, spoke to WVPB about what Manchin’s departure means for Democrats and what it would take to fill the void he’ll leave.

The retirement of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin marks the end of an era, as Manchin is the last Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia.

Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University, spoke to reporter Curtis Tate about what Manchin’s departure means for Democrats and what it would take to fill the void he’ll leave.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Tate: Can a Democrat still win a statewide office in West Virginia? What would it take?

Workman: I think the West Virginia that used to exist, where a Democrat talked a lot about coal, and especially coal families and what we were going to do for coal families, I don’t think that’s the West Virginia that exists. The West Virginia that exists is about recreational economy issues. It’s about health care. It’s about the manufacturing and the sort of energy projects we’re going to do in the western part of the state. And I think for a Democrat to win, they have to slot in those issues and be a little more forward looking than your standard, progressive sort of challenger to Manchin of recent times.

Manchin’s an older sort of politician who could kind of go at people with the elements of policy and whatnot. I don’t think that’s as viable a strategy anymore. I think the Democrats in the state really need to think about how their platform relates to the investments and the jobs that we have right now, not the ones we used to have.

Tate: Who steps in to fill the void Manchin leaves?

Workman: I’m going to give you a two part answer to that question. The first part is that looking to compare anyone to Joe Manchin, that gives them a tough road ahead, because Joe Manchin, in my lifetime, is the best politician. Now understand what I’m saying. Not saying that everyone agrees with him, rah rah. But as just a sheer politician, he’s the best politician the state has witnessed in my lifetime. I don’t think (Robert) Byrd or (Jay) Rockefeller could have held that seat as long as he did. He understands politics on the ground in difficult situations, probably better and has a better feel for it than anyone that I have come across on either side of the aisle, frankly. So that’s part one.

Part two is I think, no one steps up to the Democrats and fills those shoes in this election cycle. When we talk about the reemergence of the Democratic Party in West Virginia, I think you’re talking about something that is two, three cycles away, in terms of elections. Because we do have good sort of politicians at lower levels. If you take the state party chair, Mike Pushkin, a very prominent figure, in general does a good job of sort of navigating the waters of politics here on the ground. This guy (Zach) Shrewsbury, from my home county of Fayette County, he’s got a little more wind in his sails now with Manchin out of there. I still think folks like that run into the problem of sort of thinking about the West Virginia they grew up in and not the one that exists today. Steve Williams, the mayor from Huntington, he’s kind of a little late to statewide politics. But he’s fairly well known. He’s been a great mayor of Huntington. So there are people. I guess what I’m saying is there are people out there.

Tate: Gov. Jim Justice is likely the successor to Manchin. But he’s got to get through a Republican primary with Rep. Alex Mooney. Won’t that expose many of his vulnerabilities?

Workman: Sort of the godsend to the governor, if he gets through the primary, Manchin was no longer waiting on the other side, which he most certainly would have. And, as I think I may have said to you at some point before, each of those folks would have been the best politician the other has ever faced, for certain. So it’s very hard for me to see the governor not getting through the primary. And that’s not a statement about representative Mooney, he’s a very able, obviously very able and agile politician, because he took down Rep. (David) McKinley, largely in his own district. So Mooney has the acumen to make it tough. But the governor is so entrenched in the minds of the state.

He’s also entrenched in national Republican minds. The pandemic and the fallout from it gave the governor a lot of airtime and space and national politics. He was on all the big shows, at one point or another, talking about our vaccine programs, which were initially very successful, all this sort of stuff. But it’s very hard, barring health issues, barring financial or legal troubles, or something we don’t know yet. It’s very hard to see the governor – it would be a monumental collapse, I think, for the governor to lose this. I think Gov. Justice is probably our next senator and I just do not see in the span of one year, a Democrat making up all that space from such a low starting point for Democratic politics in the state. It’s very difficult to see that.

Tate: Joe Manchin is already a national figure, if not a household name. So what purpose would running for president as a third-party candidate serve for him?

Workman: I think it’s also the case that becoming a national figure may put him in a spot to take a cabinet position of some sort. I know if I were a betting person, I would say he would love probably to be energy secretary and have some measure of authority over how all of the money for energy transitions that he has secured, have some ability to direct those funds on the ground. So I think it comes from both believing that that middle was there, genuinely because it’s who he is. And it’s how he’s won. It’s how he’s built his political career.

But I also think there might be some angling here to be part of a presidential administration as a cabinet member or whatnot. So we all know, it’s almost structurally impossible for a third party candidate to win, right? Our elections are structured in a way that really prevents it. It’s why we’ve not really seen it.

What Manchin’s Departure Means For Democrats On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, Curtis Tate spoke with Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University, about what Sen. Joe Manchin’s departure means for Democrats and what it would take to fill the void he’ll leave.

On this West Virginia Morning, the retirement of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin marks the end of an era, as Manchin is the last Democrat to hold statewide office in West Virginia.

Curtis Tate spoke with Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University, about what Manchin’s departure means for Democrats and what it would take to fill the void he’ll leave.

Also, in this show, we have a new story from The Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh. is a public radio program that reports on environmental issues in the region. Their latest story is about churches using the power of the sun to help their bottom line and their mission.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Manchin Leaving Congress He Calls Divided, Yet Productive

Manchin announced last week he won’t be running for reelection to the US Senate. Speaking to a group of West Virginia reporters Wednesday, he says he’s leaving the chamber on both low and high notes.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he’s never seen Washington more divided. And yet, he says the most recent Congress – the one that ended in January – was a productive one.

Manchin announced last week he won’t be running for reelection to the United States Senate. Speaking to a group of West Virginia reporters Wednesday, he said he’s leaving the chamber on both low and high notes.

“Everything that we did in the 117th Congress, which I think that’s 2020 to 2022, and then really finished up in January 2023,” he said. “But I think it will go down as one of the most, in history, one of the most productive Congresses we’ve ever had.”

There was COVID-19 relief, an infrastructure bill, the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act and a bill to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits.

And it was all done in a Senate divided 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Manchin sometimes as the most critical vote of all.

Though he was a decisive vote on some of that legislation, and could single-handedly stop some of President Joe Biden’s nominees, Manchin downplayed his own influence.

“When you have an even split, it’s kind of hard for one side to blame the other. Because they’re equal,” he said. “They can equally have all the same power, no one has more power than the other person. One person can shut things down, one person can make things happen.”

Manchin will leave a chamber that could well flip to Republican control after next year. Democrats will have one less vote if a Republican wins Manchin’s seat, and that’s considered highly likely.

Manchin said throughout his time in the Senate, he tried to work across the aisle. He also said his staff closed more than 100,000 constituent cases. Those include basic services like getting veterans benefits or Social Security benefits.

Manchin has been hinting that he might pursue a third-party bid for president. But Wednesday, he didn’t make any specific commitment to run.

81st District’s New Delegate Discusses Appointment, Plans

In April, Anitra Hamilton was selected to serve out the remainder of Del. Danielle Walker’s term, and reporter Chris Schulz sat down with Hamilton to discuss her new position and plans.

In April, Del. Danielle Walker stepped down as representative for the 81st House District to become the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia.

Anitra Hamilton was selected to serve out the remainder of Walker’s term, and reporter Chris Schulz sat down with her to discuss her new position and plans.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Schulz: How are you feeling?

Hamilton: It’s still a little overwhelming, but I’m excited. I’ve been able to meet a lot of new faces, which I love. I’m a people person, very community involved, so it’s been exciting. Not as overwhelming as I thought it would be, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the excitement of it all.

Schulz: This all happened rather quickly from what I understand. Can you walk me through that process? You were selected by Gov. Jim Justice on the suggestion of the Monongalia County Democrats. Is that something that you applied for?

Hamilton: The position was vacated by former Del. Danielle Walker. She recently received the job with ACLU West Virginia. Upon the date of resignation, they have 15 days to submit a nomination, the top three nominations go to the governor.

How I joined, to be honest, I’ve never aspired to work in the West Virginia Legislature. Just being very community involved. Actually, it was a lawyer in town who reached out to me and was like, “Hey, I think you should apply for this position.” And I was like, “I don’t feel like I’m qualified.” And she was like, “You’re beyond qualified.” And I thought about it. Then within like, two days, seven different groups or organizations asked me to apply. I still wrestled with it, prayed about it and submitted my application.

I attended the Mon Dems meeting to learn more about the process and did submit my application, which was just a bio and answers to some of the questions that they had, then we had an interview. I think I had about maybe nine different people there to ask me different questions. Then they selected the top three nominations and submitted those to the governor, and he made the appointment.

Schulz: So as you said, this wasn’t something that you had considered for yourself. What is it that you do in your day-to-day life? You said you’re involved in helping the community. How do you do that?

Hamilton: I work in Ruby Memorial Hospital. I’ve been here since 1995. I attended West Virginia University. I have a degree in psychology, biology and nursing. I work in orthopedics. I’ve been a healthcare worker for about 17 or 18 years. I’m also the president of the Morgantown-Kingwood chapter of the NAACP, which I absolutely have loved doing. I’m a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and I’ve been a member of the sorority for about four years. I’m the vice chair of WVU Council for Gender and Equity. I also advise some student organizations on campus.

So I’m definitely busy. I do a lot more community work than I do in my formal jobs. I’m very busy, but I definitely love engaging with the community, doing community service, doing things that will impact all people to have a better thriving Morgantown.

Schulz: You suddenly have a much bigger platform on which to do exactly that kind of work. Can you tell me a little bit about what your objectives are for the rest of your term?

Hamilton: I’ve been thinking about this, and one of the advantages I think that I have is being definitely blessed working with NAACP. We’re nonpartisan, so I’ve worked with both sides. So coming in, for me, my whole focus is about the people. I’m here to negotiate. I’m here to work with everyone to have a better state, to see a better county, a better even with Morgantown. Seeing us being able to thrive the way we should together, and that’s inclusive of all demographics, which a lot of times I don’t think is considered or is a moving factor in a lot of decisions. I intend to bring my vantage point through my lived experiences, and I believe that lived experiences have a lot to do. It brings a different angle to some of the things that’s written on paper, it brings it to life.

My goal is to work in health and education. Obviously, those are kind of my two wheelhouses, but also agriculture. I’m a native of West Virginia. I was born and raised in McDowell County, which, with me growing up, we were the wealthiest county in the state due to coal mining. My grandfather and father were coal miners. But now we know that McDowell County is the poorest county in the state. So we do a lot of community service with my high school. We’ve helped to raise money to buy uniforms to send children to camps, trying to get them scholarships to college. So agriculture, I think it’s very important. My father was raised on a farm, he has a garden to this day, he helps to build a community garden.

I just think those types of aspects are important in our state. I definitely want to work in agriculture as well. I just hope that my vantage point, my lived experiences, my connection to all demographics, young and older – I’m also an ordained minister at Agape Life Ministry. I have a lot of different facets to me that I feel can bring some depth to who we are in the legislature.

Schulz: Are you going to be able to work on those committees for those topics?

Hamilton: Yes. So I’ll be working in Health and Education, also Agriculture, and also with Seniors, Children and Family.

Schulz: You mentioned that you want to work with everyone, and you’re open to working with everyone. You’ve had that experience at the NAACP. I’m curious, what has the reception been like from the rest of the House of Delegates and the rest of the legislature in general?

Hamilton: It’s been amazing. I’ve gotten so much tremendous support. It has made what could have been overwhelming, just a lot more peaceful. All of the delegates have reached out, have been so wonderful meeting with me just offering support. I received a lot of support from Sen. Mike Oliverio, offering not just support, but just giving me some nuggets of wisdom, and just talking about the future of working together with me. I was really appreciative of that, because I was able to moderate some of the forums. And the last forum that he was in, that was one of my promises to him, is NAACP, we work across the board. Whatever you need will be there. And he remembered that and brought that to this platform of us continuing our work together.

I know a lot of times, sometimes people can get stuck in these ridges of blue versus red, and a lot of times we missed people, and we missed what was important. But to bring that back up and offer that support to work together meant a lot.

I’m excited and I’ve received nothing but support, it’s been amazing, definitely boosted my confidence and made it a little easier for me to take such an overwhelming appointment in such a small amount of time.

Schulz: I think that it would be a disservice to the position that you’re taking to not mention your predecessor, Del. Danielle Walker. Is there anything about her platform, about the work that she’s done? Have you spoken to her about continuing that work? Or are you out to chart a new path for yourself?

Hamilton: First of all, let me say, Danielle Walker is more than my delegate, because I’m in the 81st district, she’s my friend. We’re very close friends. She’s been very supportive. She was at my swearing in ceremony. She’s always been such a major inspiration to all of us.

There was something that I expressed in my interview that, you know, I don’t want people to treat me as if I’m Danielle, because it’s so easy to do. Especially being an African American woman. I don’t want them to treat me as if I’m her, because I am a different person. My perspectives, and of course our backgrounds are different. I’ve learned so much from her, her support and just her drilling it into me that I can do it has been everything.

But absolutely, what she has done has been tremendous, what she has brought attention to, and I’m proud to say that a lot of the alliances that she has made, they showed up and supported me. I had never met these individuals or organizations, but they were there to offer their support. She has done such a tremendous job, so of course I would want to extend and continue on some of the paths of what she has laid down, but also bring to it some of what I’ve learned and lived and hopefully be able to trailblaze in a path that is indicative of some of the passions that I have. She’s done such a tremendous job, it would be almost illegal not to expound upon such great work she’s done.

But also, I don’t want people to put me in a box of personality, or because we’re African American women. Also, I think it’s such a powerful teaching lesson that there is so much diversity and power in who we are. And sometimes when people haven’t seen that, or known that, they come with the expectation. So we want to shatter those expectations and hopefully bring about a greater depth of change.

Schulz: What’s next? What’s the immediate next step that you’re going to be taking? Do you have to go down to Charleston and set up your office?

Hamilton: After my swearing ceremony, I did get to see my office. That’s something I plan to do over the next month or so, is to go down and set up my office. Right now, it’s just the logistic work, the behind-the-scenes stuff that people don’t see that takes up a lot of your time: the paperwork, the filing, and the preparation because I have to start now for next year. That is something that can be overwhelming if you don’t get ahead of it. I’m really developing my team, which is new for me, thinking of what I want my future campaign to look like. So those are all new, different areas.

I’m definitely gaining such wisdom from former delegates. Barbara Fleischauer has been amazing. Charlene Marshall has been an absolute gem. So just being able to glean from some of the different groups and people has been amazing. I’ve gotten tremendous support from so many different people in Morgantown wanting to help, so I’m so thankful, so thankful.

It’s uncharted territory for me, and I’m excited. And I can’t wait to get started. But at the same time, I’m also here to learn and grow, you know, so I’m learning from some of those that have definitely paved the path, although I know I’m trailblazing.

Schulz: I do want to give you an opportunity to, if there’s anything I haven’t given you an opening to talk about, your plans, how this experience has been for you, anything at all. If you have a message to give to your delegation, or the people of West Virginia. That’s quite an order. But basically, if there’s anything else that you’d like to say, please do so.

Hamilton: One of the things I think I have learned in the last couple of weeks is that I think sometimes we take our lived experiences and who we are for granted. Sometimes we don’t think we have anything to offer and we don’t put ourselves out there to be of service. I’m just so thankful that someone’s seen something in me to start that conversation that has gotten me here. I do want to encourage all West Virginians, because a lot of times when we look at the news and we look at statistics, we’re always behind and lagging, but we have so many powerful and intuitive people in West Virginia that have definitely made a change like during COVID. We had some of the most powerful interventions come out of West Virginia, so I do want to encourage people not to sell yourself short.

What I’ve done in these last two weeks is to step out on faith, in faith, feeling unqualified, but just going in confidence has really gotten me to a place of wanting to learn and wanting to do and become more. I think that in itself is what West Virginia can be about, in a sense of wanting to thrive. We want our state to grow, in order to grow we have to grow as individuals. So we have to be able to extend beyond the boundaries that we set around ourselves, whether it be how we view other people, how we stereotype people, we have to be willing to be flexible in how we view laws, understanding that laws have been created to marginalize people and that has been since the beginning of time. We cannot erase history because history, it sets a precedent of how we do things today.

And if we are willing to stretch ourselves just a little bit, I am a testimony and a testament that change can happen immediately. My life changed in one day with one appointment, with one announcement. Since then, I’ve met people that maybe I would have never met before. And I’m embarking upon a new journey. And I just believe that it’s possible for everyone, that we don’t have to be last in statistics, we can forge ahead in areas that we’ve never dreamed of being in. You know, I never saw myself here but I’m so happy to be here.

I think it’s just important to make every moment in our lives count and as we move forward and create a better West Virginia, all the pieces of our lives matter, so hopefully we can have some impact and change. I know that it may take some time, but I’m also a testimony that some things happen instantaneously. I’m just hoping for the best and appreciate all the support from people that don’t even know me. That has been surreal. So appreciative. It makes me want to work harder and do more for our district, our county and our state.

W.Va. State Lawmaker Elliott Pritt Switches From Dem To GOP

The Republican supermajority in West Virginia’s House of Delegates became more lopsided Monday after Del. Elliott Pritt switched from the Democratic Party, the state’s GOP leader said.

Pritt, a teacher, is in his first term after defeating a Republican incumbent in the 2022 election.

“I want to welcome Delegate Elliott Pritt to the Republican Party,” West Virginia Republican Party chairwoman Elgine McArdle said in a statement. “Like so many West Virginians, Delegate Pritt has recognized that the Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party that our parents grew up with.”

The move gives the GOP 89 members in the House, while the Democrats’ ranks dwindled to 11. Pritt’s decision was already accounted for by late morning on the West Virginia Legislature’s official House roster.

Pritt had been the last Democrat in the House in the state’s southern coalfields.

The 34-member state Senate also has a GOP supermajority with 31 Republicans and three Democrats.

The move continues a Republican wave in the state that started a decade ago. After the 2014 election, the GOP took control of the state Senate and House from Democrats for the first time in more than eight decades.

Buoyed by criticism of former two-term President Barack Obama’s energy policies in coal-rich West Virginia, registered Democrats in 2014 fell below 50% for the first time since 1932. There are now about 456,000 registered Republicans, or 39.6% of all registered voters in West Virginia, according to the secretary of state’s office. That compares with about 372,000 registered Democrats, or 32.3%.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is the only Democrat to currently hold statewide office.