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Doug Skaff Switches Parties, Files For Secretary Of State

Doug Skaff Jr., the former West Virginia House of Delegates Democrat and Minority Leader, has filed to run for Secretary of State as a Republican.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

Updated Thursday, Oct 12, 2023 at 4:03 p.m.

In a statement on the West Virginia Republican Party website, party chair Elgine McArdle said the party would “certainly welcome voters and public servants who join the Party as a matter of policies and principles.” She questioned whether Skaff, running as a republican for Secretary of State, fit that description.

“The West Virginia Republican Party recognizes the philosophical nuances that can exist within the Party and welcomes those who genuinely believe in our cause; however,” McArdle said. “Republican voters are sometimes tasked with differentiating between ‘philosophical nuances’ and ‘diametric ideological opposition.’ Now that Skaff is labeling himself as a ‘Republican,’ despite his storied liberal record in the House, the upcoming primary is one of those times.”

Updated Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 at 3:37 p.m.

Skaff is the president of HD Media and owner of various small businesses, He said he has the skills and experience to excel in running elections and shepherding state business activities.

“My past experience as a legislator, and in my small business and large business ventures, I think it would be a great complement to that office,” Skaff said. “Not only is it the business portal office for the state, it does a lot of charities and organizations, but elections get all the attention. We need to do more to get people involved in the election process, find more poll workers, engage people at a younger age to get involved in the whole election process.”

As to changing parties, Skaff says he’s pro-life, pro-guns and pro-coal and like so many others, his values haven’t changed, just his political label.

“100,000 Republicans didn’t just move to West Virginia overnight, and change their party affiliation,” Skaff said. “These were old blue dog Democrats who were always conservative mainstream, and just registered with a different party. Like many others before me, I know I’m not the first and I won’t be the last to work with a team in the Republican Party that represents the majority of West Virginia’s interests.”

A statement from the West Virginia Democratic Party and West Virginia Democratic Party Chair. Del. Mike Pushkin. D-Kanawha, called his party switch a ‘gamble’.

“While I appreciate Doug finally putting his cards on the table about his long-rumored, politically expedient party switch,’ Pushkin said. “I’m surprised he would try to reinvent himself as a right-wing conservative in the process. I know Doug has long been intoxicated by the idea of winning a statewide office. Still, his candidacy could leave Republican primary voters with a hangover when they find out about his actual voting record.”

Skaff said the Secretary of State’s office should wear no stripes and represent all of the people regardless of their party affiliation.

Original Story posted Oct 12, 2023.

Doug Skaff Jr., the former West Virginia House of Delegates Democrat and Minority Leader, has filed to run for Secretary of State as a Republican.

Skaff left his House leadership post in August 2023, that announcement coming in a news release from House Democrats. He resigned from the House of Delegates in September 2023.

Skaff was first named Minority Leader in December 2020, after former-Minority Leader Tim Miley did not seek reelection. The former Kanawha County Democrat represented the 57th district for 12 years.

Skaff, president of HD Media, had said he planned on using the extra time to focus more energy on his businesses and coaching his three sons at soccer.

Three other Republicans have also announced they are running for Secretary of State: Del. Chris Pritt, former Del. Ken Reed and Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood.

2024 Gubernatorial Candidates Join In Political Forum

The four leading Republican candidates on the 2024 primary ballot were asked about West Virginia’s declining population, size of government, education and tourism.

Speaking before the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce summit at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, and a live television audience, the four leading Republican candidates on the 2024 primary ballot were asked about West Virginia’s declining population, size of government, education and tourism.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said he was studying what works in neighboring states and would implement that information in a first 100-day plan.

“We’re going to make sure that on the issue of taxation, on the issue of regulation, on the issue of licensing, on the issue of workforce, West Virginia is going to win against all those states,” Morrisey said.

Candidate Chris Miller owns the Dutch Miller Auto Group. Miller said the state needs to improve its technological efficiency and leverage its rich natural resources.

“We have an abundance of coal, we have an abundance of natural gas, we also now have the potential for nuclear energy, and we have this incredible amount of water,” Miller said. “Why don’t we use that as the foundation for all of our economic growth and development.”

House of Delegates Judiciary Committee Chair Moore Capito described himself as an architect of the legislative supermajority and said local leaders know best.

“When I’m governor, we’re going to start off on day one by entering into an engagement tour where we go to every single local and county government and talk to them about what they need,” Capito said.

Secretary of State Mac Warner said he was the sole veteran and teacher in a race where he has the widest range of experience.

“I’m an Eagle Scout, graduate of West Point, WVU College of Law, I hold two master’s degrees,” Warner said. “I have lived a life of service both in the military and with the U.S. State Department.”

All four candidates said education would be a priority.

Warner said in his experience at West Point, they posted your grade point average weekly in every subject, and that was an inspiration to work harder. He said as governor, he would extend that accountability.

“I propose we do look at ratings of some sort,” Warner said. “But deal with the professionals, determine what is the best form of the rating system, and then watch it, benchmark it and then see whether we approve or not.”

Morrisey defended his work in expanding school choice. He said as governor he would expand it even further.

“I want to make sure that money follows the child much more aggressively,” Morrisey said. “West Virginia will always have the broadest school choice law in the country, that’s number one. Number two, we’re going to have to build on the success of charter schools, we need to do things differently.”

Capito said teachers are overwhelmed with so many things that they weren’t trained to do. He said the state should continue to provide more supplemental help in our early education classrooms.

“We know that kids learn to read from the time they’re born to the third grade and then they read to learn from then on,” Capito said. “If they’re not reading to learn after third grade, we’re falling behind. So let’s put tools in place to succeed and they’ll reward success.”

Miller said the state education system is too administratively “top heavy.”

“We need to get rid of this big, bloated layer of bureaucracy that soaks up all the resources before the money flows down into the classroom,” Miller said. “We need to focus on making the kids’ lives better, to focus on making sure they have all the resources that they need.”

One Republican candidate will emerge when voters cast their ballots. No Democrat has declared to run yet, but Huntington Mayor Steve Williams has given indications he will soon announce his candidacy.

The 2024 West Virginia Primary is May 14th.

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.

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.

October 27, 1879: W. Va. Attorney General Howard Lee Born in Wirt County

West Virginia Attorney General Howard B. Lee was born in Wirt County on October 27, 1879. After graduating from Marshall College, now Marshall University, Lee taught school in Putnam County. Then, while studying law at Washington and Lee University, he was elected as a Republican to the West Virginia Legislature.

Lee began his law practice in Bluefield in 1909 and served as Mercer County prosecuting attorney for eight years. He was elected state attorney general in 1924 and served for eight challenging, eventful years. His term saw the impeachment of a state auditor for embezzlement, the lawlessness and violence of Prohibition, and continued labor troubles in the southern coalfields. Lee later practiced law in Charleston until retiring in 1943.

Lee wrote a dozen books, the most memorable being Bloodletting in Appalachia, published in 1969. In this book, he drew on his personal experiences to create one of the first published histories about the West Virginia Mine Wars. Lee later said of the book, “It’s the most horrifying story you’ve ever read. Unfortunately, every word of it is true.”

Howard B. Lee died in 1985 at age 105.

Top Federal Prosecutor Tapped for Southern West Virginia

A former West Virginia Republican Party chairman has been selected to become the top federal prosecutor in the southern half of the state.

President Donald Trump nominated Mike Stuart to be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Republican U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito says she recommended Stuart for the position. She says Stuart “has shown great leadership, professionalism, and character throughout his career.”

If confirmed, Stuart would take over from Carol Casto, who was appointed after former U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin resigned in December 2015 to run for governor, a bid which he lost.

Stuart is an attorney from Charleston who served as state GOP chairman from 2010 to 2012. He served as a co-chairman of Trump’s West Virginia presidential campaign team.