West Virginia - 62% Romney, all county sweep, fifth most Republican state

[Franzl]

McDowell is one of the worst places imaginable on this earth. Its about $15K income and 35% poverty, kind of funny this is where Romney improved (many 47%ers)

I've been there. The standard of living is really heartbreaking. Poverty is the only word to describe it.

[JohnCA246]

IRC, in 2008, Obama had a higher margin with white votes in WV than nationwide despite a large swing and trend against him (especially in traditional Democratic counties like Mingo). 2012 numbers look like the bottom falling out. Kerry go 56% of Mingo County's vote. Obama got 27% on Tuesday.

[Badger]

This has infinitely more due to coal than race. Culture and social issues are a close second.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

I find it odd that state like West Virginia be so conservative when it was founded as a breakaway state from Virginia to avoid being a slave state.

West Virginia broke off from its parent-state because it wished to stay in the Union.  Like Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri, it entered the Union as a slave state -but it entered as a loyal slave state. 

Also, western Virginia had been wanting to separate from Richmond even before the Civil War.  Ideally, when Kentucky was split off of Virginia, it should have had everything on the other side of the eastern Continental divide and maybe even split into two additional states instead of one.  However, Virginia wanted to keep access to the Ohio, so that didn't happen.

However. while West Virginia wished to enter as a loyal slave state, to get Congress to approve their statehood, they had to do so as a free state.

[Tender Branson]

I think the in comparison poor Appalachian mountain people were pulled by Romney's wealth and his plans for the economy. They probably thought by electing a rich guy like Romney everything will get better with a snip of Romney's finger. Besides, Obama is a Black, you see ...

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

I think the in comparison poor Appalachian mountain people were pulled by Romney's wealth and his plans for the economy. They probably thought by electing a rich guy like Romney everything will get better with a snip of Romney's finger. Besides, Obama is a Black, you see ...

But they already have John D. Rockefeller IV to help them out.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I did some investigating; there were switches from Obama to Romney, but the vast majority of the swing came from Democrats not bothering to turn out (which would have helped Obama slightly; maybe Romney would only get 58 or 59%)

[Inmate Trump]

I remember in 2008, people said this could be a swing state, or that it could be close.

[Niemeyerite]

I remember in 2008, people said this could be a swing state, or that it could be close.

We don't need West Virginia when we have Virginia

[Inmate Trump]

I remember in 2008, people said this could be a swing state, or that it could be close.

We don't need West Virginia when we have Virginia

Quite true.  Nor do you need any number of states as long as you've got that one.  The Republicans lost it in 2008 because they assumed it was safe, which just happens to be the same reason they lost the general election this year, and why they'll continue to lose national elections until they make serious and massive changes to their establishment, platform and strategy, as well as kick this whole Tea Party nonsense to the curb.  And frankly, they deserve to lose if they can't accomplish those changes, and I certainly won't support them if they don't.

And I got off topic...anyway, WV...

[RI]

I think the new emergent Democratic coalition is awesome. It's great to see progressives, young people, minorities, LGBT folks and single women come together and form this great coalition.

This is a winning coalition if and only if the Dems get massive minority turnout. A white candidate (hence one lacking record minority enthusiasm) could not have won with Obama's racial percentages.

[The Ex-Factor]

But then again, if you had a white candidate you would think that he or she would get more white voters than Obama thus offsetting the decrease in minority turnout.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I think West Virginia would be like "Vermont south" today if the Democrats hadn't allowed all that DLC garbage back in the '90s. The DLC should have been kicked to the curb - much as the Republicans should do to the Tea Party.

I'm a real West Virginia type of guy, and it's easy for me to see how the DLC ruined the party.

[opebo]

Coal has had a catastrophic four years. Due to the invention of hydraulic fracturing, the price of natural gas has plumetted. This wasn't hard to predict.

^ This. But it's easier for a Republican to accuse the EPA of a reign of terror than it is for a Democrat to explain how energy markets work.

It is quite ironic that it is precisely because of the complete lack of proper environmental protections that we have the hydraulic fracturing industry.

[RBH]

So, what you all are saying is that an anti-fracking candidate could use that stance as a way to cozy up to the coal voters too?

But when it comes to coal v. race. Would the "war on Coal" thing be as potent if Hillary was the President? If John McCain was President, and coal had it's 4 years, would those counties have swung hard Dem in a 2012 election?

Also, look at the swings in not just Eastern Kentucky, but the coal counties in Western Kentucky. Amazingly vast. But Elliot County kept their streak alive for four more years.

What the pro-coal Dems who went along with the War on Coal talking points in WV/KY don't quite realize is that the coal companies want to replace those Dems with Republicans sometime real soon. And with the Rs up to 46 in the West Virginia House, they're very close to pulling that off. They're just pawns in the game.

[TJ in Oregon]

So, what you all are saying is that an anti-fracking candidate could use that stance as a way to cozy up to the coal voters too?

I doubt that would work well either because West Virginia stands to directly benefit from fracking:


Another problem you're going to have with that argument is that the coal industry already feels as though environmental restrictions are killing them, so they would likely see anti-fracking positions as a repeat of the same policy ideas extended to another energy source and identify with the pro-fracking side.

[Badger]

So, what you all are saying is that an anti-fracking candidate could use that stance as a way to cozy up to the coal voters too?

I doubt that would work well either because West Virginia stands to directly benefit from fracking:


Another problem you're going to have with that argument is that the coal industry already feels as though environmental restrictions are killing them, so they would likely see anti-fracking positions as a repeat of the same policy ideas extended to another energy source and identify with the pro-fracking side.

Dead on for both points.

[nclib]

Also noteworthy that Obama's four best counties: Jefferson 46.9%-50.9%, Monongalia 43.9%-53.5%, Brooke 43.2%-53.4%, and Kanawha 43.2%-55.1% are outside the coal (and historically Dem) belt.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Also noteworthy that Obama's four best counties: Jefferson 46.9%-50.9%, Monongalia 43.9%-53.5%, Brooke 43.2%-53.4%, and Kanawha 43.2%-55.1% are outside the coal (and historically Dem) belt.

Isn't Jefferson county part of the DC suburbs/exurbs region?

[minionofmidas]

Dukakis won here?! It's so emblematic of the direction WV has gone compared to VA. One is a fast growing, diverse and dynamic state. One represents the America of years ago.

Dukakis didn't win in what is now Obama's strongest county in the state.

And yes, yes it is.

[nclib]

It's the furthest geographically from the center of WV, which explains it's non-West Virginia-like voting habits--less historically Democratic and more currently Democratic.

[Gass3268]

There is a ton of advertising in the DC area promoting the Eastern West Virginia panhandle for business and tourism. 

[traininthedistance]

I'm not surprised Romney crushed hard in the coal counties.

I am a little surprised that the anti-Obama swing was strong enough in the pandhandles (and nearby areas like Southwest PA) to flip those counties too.  I expected Obama to squeak out Monogalia if nothing else, because hey it's a college town and there isn't coal there.  But no.

[Hash]

I am a little surprised that the anti-Obama swing was strong enough in the pandhandles (and nearby areas like Southwest PA) to flip those counties too.  I expected Obama to squeak out Monogalia if nothing else, because hey it's a college town and there isn't coal there.  But no.

There's a smaller but still pretty big mining basin around Monongalia County:

http://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/www/images/faqc02_2.gif

[RBH]

So, what you all are saying is that an anti-fracking candidate could use that stance as a way to cozy up to the coal voters too?

I doubt that would work well either because West Virginia stands to directly benefit from fracking:


Another problem you're going to have with that argument is that the coal industry already feels as though environmental restrictions are killing them, so they would likely see anti-fracking positions as a repeat of the same policy ideas extended to another energy source and identify with the pro-fracking side.

I'd hope that those WV Coal Companies would have some money invested in WV Fracking as well.

But we kind of assume that industries/corporations don't seek Government action to go after competitors too.

There's been a war on coal for decades, it's been waged by alternatives in the free market.

I'd hope some people are at least thinking of other industries that can be put in those areas, instead of having an area where people either work in coal or don't work at all. Granted, there's been kind of a few decades long impasse on the issues of doing things to help rural economies and the sort of economies in Coal Country.