WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – With West Virginia set to lose a lawmaker in Congress next year, political experts say newly elected U.S. officials will need to “step up” to ensure West Virginia’s voice remains forceful in Washington.
As West Virginia lost population, the electoral map was redrawn. Therefore, redistricting combined the state’s three districts into two.
Republican Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney are currently running for re-election in the newly elected 1st and 2nd Districts. Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) will leave office at the end of the year after being defeated in the primary by Mooney.
Despite the electoral map change, Dr. Kenneth Martis noted that West Virginia remains largely Republican.
“There has been a huge shift to the Republican Party (in West Virginia) over the last 22 years, so regardless of where the district lines are drawn, we will have a majority, a clear majority for Republican candidates,” he added. he said.
In the 2nd District, Mooney faces Democratic challenger Barry Wendell. Martis noted that if Mooney wins re-election in the newly expanded district, he will likely face additional pressure to get things done in Congress.
“He needs to step up. He needs to talk more. It needs to get on the right committee,” Martis said, “…I hope it happens for the good of the state of West Virginia.”
The Washington News Bureau asked Mooney how he plans to amplify West Virginia’s voice on Capitol Hill.
“Well, they’re adding a lot of oil and gas to the new district. Our predecessor is on the committee that dealt with this. So I will definitely get more involved in promoting the energy industry. Coal, you know, there’s a lot of coal in West Virginia, but there’s also oil and gas in the northern part of the state. So you know we’re looking forward to meeting with them and talking about how we can make sure that we can provide good-paying jobs and that people in this country are energized, and that’s an important issue.” Mooney said. He added: “Also in my new neighborhood is West Virginia University. When I travel around the country I get asked this a lot, is WVU in your district and is Morgantown in? So Morgantown will now be part of the district. So I will be more involved with West Virginia University, which does a lot in West Virginia. They own medical centers and have facilities throughout the state. So higher education is something I will be even more involved in.”
The pro-Trump and anti-abortion Republican also wants to curb inflation and government spending.
But Democrat Barry Wendell said he is a candidate who is fighting to protect democracy because he is “afraid” of what Republicans might do if they take over Congress.
“The most essential issue for my voters is abortion. When I talk to women and say I am pro-choice, I get great applause,” he said.
Wendell said he visited almost the entire newly expanded district to discuss issues with voters and highlight the good things he believes Democrats are doing.
He noted that the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act “bring millions of dollars to West Virginia and for bridges and roads and broadband access. That’s what I hear most often on the periphery, that we don’t have good internet here.”
In October, the state reported that there were more than 450,000 Republicans in West Virginia compared to almost 380,000 Democrats.
