CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – West Virginia is considered one of the safest states for Republicans. The Associated Press called the state for Donald Trump shortly after polls closed at 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
But before the 21st century, West Virginia was considered an simple win for Democrats. From 1976 to 1996, the Mountain State voted for only one Republican: Ronald Reagan in 1984.
In 1980, West Virginia was one of six states plus DC that voted for Jimmy Carter over Reagan. The state then joined 49 other states in voting to re-elect Reagan in 1984. Minnesota and DC were the only places that voted for Walter Mondale in the 1984 election.
After 1984, the Mountain State gave its electoral college votes to Democrats.
There was one time in 1988 when Margaret Leach changed her electoral college vote to bring more attention to what she could do.
Instead of casting her vote for President Michael Dukakis and her vote for Vice President Lloyd Bentsen, she cast her vote for President Bentsen and her vote for Vice President Dukakis. according to FairVote.
The last time the West Virginia vote went to a Democrat was in 1996. That was for Bill Clinton’s re-election. According to the MIT Election Data and Science Lab51.51% of West Virginians voted for Clinton.
It wasn’t until 2000 that West Virginia gave its five electoral votes to the Republican candidate: George W. Bush.
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In the years that followed, Republicans dominated the state. In 2024, both U.S. Senators and House Representatives are Republicans, as are the Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Comptroller.
According to the State Department70.14% of West Virginia residents voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
