The number of registered Republicans in West Virginia has increased 27% in the last eight years, an escalate that party leaders attribute to the Democratic Party moving further to the left.
As of April 2016, just a few months earlier 68.6% of West Virginia voters voted To vote for former President Donald Trump in this year’s general election, 374,931 West Virginia residents were registered as Republicans, according to the State Department. That number rose to 477,656 on April 23 this year.
During the same period, Democratic voter registrations fell 38%, from 577,977 in 2016 to 357,918 in 2024, while the number of registered voters not affiliated with a party rose 15%, from 254,265 to 293,030.
In 41 of West Virginia’s 55 counties, more Republicans than Democrats registered for this year’s primary, compared to just 14 counties in the 2016 primary.
Matt Herridge, a Wood County businessman who was elected chairman of the state Republican Party in Januarysaid several things contributed to the escalate in Republican voters, including that the Democratic Party has moved away from representing the values of “typical West Virginians.”
“A West Virginian is someone who often has a very strong faith,” Herridge said. “They strongly believe in family values. They believe in the idea of freedom: freedom of speech, the Second Amendment, the freedom to own a gun, the freedom to express one’s opinion.
“I think what’s happened, fortunately for the Republican Party but unfortunately for the Democratic Party, is that party has moved further and further to the left and really doesn’t represent the values of typical West Virginians,” he said.
Herridge pointed to Democrats’ “attacks” on the coal and natural gas industries, which he said are crucial parts of the state.
“Many of these voters who were staunch Democrats, maybe they were part of a union or something, felt this was a slap in the face to their future income and to the stability of their family, and that was a big part of it too,” he said .
According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the total number of registered voters in West Virginia fell about 5%, from about 1.24 million in the 2016 primary to 1.18 million last month.
Social issues — like abortion, which several Democratic candidates for statewide office have made a cornerstone of their 2024 elections — have also contributed to more West Virginians identifying as Republicans, Herridge said.
Kyle Saunders, executive director of the West Virginia Republican Party, said the party has become the “natural answer” for people when deciding which party they agree with most.
“Our platform has remained largely unchanged over the last 20 years; I don’t know that you can say the same about the Democratic Party, at least not on a national level,” Saunders said. “So I think the more the Democratic Party has moved to accommodate more liberal voting blocs across the country and even in parts of West Virginia, the further, I think, they have moved away from the average West Virginia voter and their values and beliefs .”
republican took control of the state Senate and House of Representatives in 2014, ends 83 years of democratic control.
Leaders expect the Republican Party to expand its supermajority control of both chambers of the state Legislature after this year’s election. With the retirement of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-Wa., the GOP will also likely hold all four seats in West Virginia’s congressional delegation and all statewide offices, Herridge said.
Del. Mike Pushkin, chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party, pointed out that the growing number of independent voters is a sign that younger voters are not steadfast to one party or the other.
According to a 2023 Gallup Poll, 49% of US adults described themselves as politically independent, as many as those who described themselves as Republicans and Democrats combined. Due to a resolution by the state Republican Executive Committee in JanuaryThis will likely be the last primary in which unaffiliated and unaffiliated voters can cast ballots in Republican primaries.
“I think more people will vote in the Republican primaries this year because they have the supermajority and there are more competitive primaries where a lot of people will put their ballots in their hands, not just to vote for someone , but for many others.” “There are many cases when you can vote against someone,” said Pushkin.
Pushkin said the real test to be determined during the parliamentary election will be to see whether Republicans’ negative campaigning attracted more voters or scared people away.
Ads in the gubernatorial race, in which four prominent Republicans are vying for Gov. Jim Justice’s seat, have largely focused on social issues, like transgender rights, the border and support for former President Donald Trump.
During a primary, Herridge said, candidates typically speak to more conservative voters who are driven to get out and vote. Herridge said he would like to see more candidates in the general election who would focus on financial issues that affect younger voters, such as the ability to buy a home or afford groceries when costs rise.
“Everyday life is the most important thing in life [voters’] Life, is probably not transgender rights,” he said. “The question is, ‘Can I afford my rent this month or my meals this month?’ And so I really think that’s a message when we turn to the general [election], we need to talk about that more. What our difference is from a financial perspective.”
The Republican Party’s state executive committee will meet May 18 to vote on a statewide platform that has already been submitted to members for review. Herridge said the platform focuses on “faith, family and freedom,” as well as positions on school choice and lower taxes.
“It’s all about the importance of respecting religious freedom, the Second Amendment, freedom of speech, it basically goes back to a kind of Bill of Rights,” Herridge said.
