The Democratic National Committee is sending $50,000 to West Virginia this election cycle, targeting four state legislative races that both national and statewide Democrats believe could flip back to blue.
The funds are part of an overall DNC investment of $2.5 million going to dozens of states to support campaign efforts in the final stretch of the 2024 general election. It was not announced which races the money would be used for.
“The DNC is committed to electing Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz and ensuring Democrats have the resources to run equally competitive races across the map in red and blue states,” said DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison. “The investment we are announcing today in the West Virginia Democratic Party shows that these priorities are being put into action.”
According to the DNC, the money will be used specifically for Get Out The Vote efforts, including paying for mailers and supporting local Democrats working on the election to engage with voters. Specifically, the DNC says the funds are intended to aid appeal to teenage and minority voters who could be crucial to flipping competitive seats in the state legislature.
The $50,000 is a welcome infusion for local Democratic leaders in the deep red state who are fighting to retain as much power and influence as possible at the state level against an overwhelmingly Republican state – even broken — legislature.
“I come from a red state, [DNC] Chairman [Jaime] Harrison gets it – he knows how important it is to compete in every race and build our group from the ground up. Thanks to his leadership and the DNC’s financial support, we can invest in organizing, mobilizing and engaging voters across West Virginia,” said Del. Mike Pushkin, D-Kanawha, who serves as chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party. “The work we are doing here is proof that no state is off limits, and we are committed to turning this state blue again.”
Republicans held a supermajority in both chambers of the West Virginia Legislature since 2020. They currently hold 120 of the 134 seats in the legislature – 89 of the 100 seats in the house and 31 of the 34 seats in the Senate.
Until historic election 2014Democrats controlled both chambers of the Legislature for more than 80 years. This year, Republicans flipped 11 seats in the House — giving them control by a 64-36 split — and seven seats in the Senate, putting the chamber in a 17-17 deadlock. Shortly after the election, Democratic Senator Daniel Hall announced that he was switching to the Republican Party, allowing the party to take majority control of the chamber.
The November elections were and will continue to be a tough battle for the Democrats they faced Challenges when filling out the ballot and who are often acquired and spent outside of resources from their Republican competitors.
According to the West Virginia Secretary of State’s OfficeAs of November, Republicans are running 48 uncontested races for House seats – seven in the Senate and 41 in the House. That’s all but a guarantee that Republicans will hold those seats after the election results. Two other races — one in the Senate and one in the House — pit a Republican candidate against a third-party candidate without a Democrat on the ballot.
Conversely, according to the candidate lists, the Democrats are only guaranteed two seats if they have no competition – the Dels’ seats. Evan Hansen and Anitra Hamilton, both of Monongalia County.
Election day is Tuesday, November 5th. Early voting begins October 23rd and the last day to register for this year’s general election is October 15th. To find your polling place and check your voter registration status, visit the Department of State website.
