WV is now officially dead for Democrats

[JRP1994]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/374b43d7dc764dab8b8486bd204f6971/gop-used-car-salesman-tops-senior-wva-senator

"CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Mark Maynard owns a used car lot, runs a towing business and spends his spare time on a professional drag racing pit crew. And despite not raising a dime for his Republican campaign and agreeing with his Democratic opponent on almost all the issues, he defeated West Virginia's longest-sitting state senator.

That was the kind of election it was for West Virginia Democrats. As voters took out their disgust with President Barack Obama, Maynard defeated Sen. Truman Chafin, a lawmaker Republicans previously had bothered to challenge only once in three decades.

The same momentum helped Republicans win a U.S. Senate seat held for decades by a Democrat, sweep three congressional seats and take majorities in the Legislature for the first time in eight decades.

"Everybody's low approval rating of the president and the way he was running the country, I got some votes through that," said Maynard, 42."

[Miles]

I've heard some Dmocrats say they can rebound after Obama leaves office, but I just don't see it.

The damage has been done, and I don't think much of it is reversable (for the foreseeable future).

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

I don't know about the governorship, but as soon as Manchin retires, WV will have two republican senators for at least a generation. Aside from the 2nd district, the house seats are Safe R for at least the same amount of time.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I wonder if West Virginia's Democratic statewide officials will survive 2016?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It's important to remember that the terrible WV results this time came in the context of terrible results nationally (horrifying as the state leg thrashings were, they were at least in part a particularly extreme example of a wider national pattern). Naturally, anyone who expects things to return as they were the moment Obama ceases to be the leader of the Democratic Party is completely delusional (serious damage has been done to the Democratic brand), but there are signs of life (most obviously - but not exclusively - the fact that WV-2 was nearly an against the grain pickup). Even the pathetic and bedraggled performance of Tennant at least had something of a traditional WVDem pattern to it in terms of geography.

[IceSpear]

I've heard some Dmocrats say they can rebound after Obama leaves office, but I just don't see it.

The damage has been done, and I don't think much of it is reversable (for the foreseeable future).

Well, they'll probably rebound somewhat, since there's nowhere to go but up at this point. But it will still be solidly Republican.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The Democrats will gain some ground in WV-02, compensated for by loses in WV-03 and will remain 60-40 Republican. It is the pattern we have seen in many Southern states. GOP start out in the most metropolitcan area, take over rural area, dominate rural area nd GOP support declines in the metro area. The problem for WV is that its populatin is not growing like the others in question and thus unless its cities gets bigger, there isn't much hope for the "new majority in cities and suburbs come 2022 crowd". Only with an embrace of the Snowstalker aproach would something different than that possibly transpire.

[DrScholl]

Right-to-work?

[IceSpear]

The Democrats will gain some ground in WV-02, compensated for by loses in WV-03 and will remain 60-40 Republican. It is the pattern we have seen in many Southern states. GOP start out in the most metropolitcan area, take over rural area, dominate rural area nd GOP support declines in the metro area. The problem for WV is that its populatin is not growing like the others in question and thus unless its cities gets bigger, there isn't much hope for the "new majority in cities and suburbs come 2022 crowd". Only with an embrace of the Snowstalker aproach would something different than that possibly transpire.

You think West Virginia would support communism?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The Democrats will gain some ground in WV-02, compensated for by loses in WV-03 and will remain 60-40 Republican. It is the pattern we have seen in many Southern states. GOP start out in the most metropolitcan area, take over rural area, dominate rural area nd GOP support declines in the metro area. The problem for WV is that its populatin is not growing like the others in question and thus unless its cities gets bigger, there isn't much hope for the "new majority in cities and suburbs come 2022 crowd". Only with an embrace of the Snowstalker aproach would something different than that possibly transpire.

You think West Virginia would support communism?

lol now, I mean the FDR/LBJ approach.

[IceSpear]

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But...Hifly told me if we only run these types of Democrats everywhere, we'd take back Appalachia!

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It is not just about running candidates. Your party has to define itself as the party of the poor people first as the number one priority. As long as the national party is defining itself on social issues and such forth you can run Zell Miller and still lose in WV and similar places.

[KCDem]

Glorious news! Let the Republicans catch black lung!

[adma]

The Democrats will gain some ground in WV-02, compensated for by loses in WV-03 and will remain 60-40 Republican. It is the pattern we have seen in many Southern states. GOP start out in the most metropolitcan area, take over rural area, dominate rural area nd GOP support declines in the metro area. The problem for WV is that its populatin is not growing like the others in question and thus unless its cities gets bigger, there isn't much hope for the "new majority in cities and suburbs come 2022 crowd". Only with an embrace of the Snowstalker aproach would something different than that possibly transpire.

And unfortunately, where WV *is* growing is in the eastern panhandle, which has traditionally been the most GOP-leaning--though who knows; the more it gets drawn into DC exurbia, it might wind up flipping into "new-majority-compatible" territory before long.  (Indeed, might that explain why the 2nd district nearly flipped the other way?)

[memphis]

It is not just about running candidates. Your party has to define itself as the party of the poor people first as the number one priority. As long as the national party is defining itself on social issues and such forth you can run Zell Miller and still lose in WV and similar places.

No, running as the party of poor people is the worst possible strategy. Nobody likes poor people or want to be associated with them. The Democrats need to position themselves as the party of the "middle class."

[DrScholl]

Democrats need the votes of poor people and that's where a lot of the Democratic base comes from. Democrats can't going around hating poor people, that's not going to win votes.

[All Along The Watchtower]

It is not just about running candidates. Your party has to define itself as the party of the poor people first as the number one priority. As long as the national party is defining itself on social issues and such forth you can run Zell Miller and still lose in WV and similar places.

No, running as the party of poor people is the worst possible strategy. Nobody likes poor people or want to be associated with them. The Democrats need to position themselves as the party of the "middle class."

They already do that.

[memphis]

Democrats need the votes of poor people and that's where a lot of the Democratic base comes from. Democrats can't going around hating poor people, that's not going to win votes.

You don't go around hating them, but you can't go around promising to uplift them either. Most people are extremely resentful toward them because of muh taxes and teh Welfarezz!!!11

[memphis]

It is not just about running candidates. Your party has to define itself as the party of the poor people first as the number one priority. As long as the national party is defining itself on social issues and such forth you can run Zell Miller and still lose in WV and similar places.

No, running as the party of poor people is the worst possible strategy. Nobody likes poor people or want to be associated with them. The Democrats need to position themselves as the party of the "middle class."

They already do that.

They need to do it effectively.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

It is not just about running candidates. Your party has to define itself as the party of the poor people first as the number one priority. As long as the national party is defining itself on social issues and such forth you can run Zell Miller and still lose in WV and similar places.

No, running as the party of poor people is the worst possible strategy. Nobody likes poor people or want to be associated with them. The Democrats need to position themselves as the party of the "middle class."

Then you don't say poor, you say working class.

[DrScholl]

Democrats need the votes of poor people and that's where a lot of the Democratic base comes from. Democrats can't going around hating poor people, that's not going to win votes.

You don't go around hating them, but you can't go around promising to uplift them either. Most people are extremely resentful toward them because of muh taxes and teh Welfarezz!!!11

Democrats only win when they have coalition of voters, which includes the poor. Across the board, Democrats need to reach voters in need of jobs and economic growth.

[Frodo]

It's worse than any Democrat here thinks:

In W.Va., the GOP surge reaches deep into counties

November 16, 2014 12:07 AM
By Joe Smydo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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The Republican triumph in the state was broad as well as deep. 

[KCDem]

It's worse than any Democrat here thinks:

In W.Va., the GOP surge reaches deep into counties

November 16, 2014 12:07 AM
By Joe Smydo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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The Republican triumph in the state was broad as well as deep. 

RIP black lung sufferers.

[Maxwell]

Eh, they may have a congressman soon. A Casey-Mooney re-match would definitely be interesting to see in a non-wave year.

[Gass3268]

Eh, they may have a congressman soon. A Casey-Mooney re-match would definitely be interesting to see in a non-wave year.

CD-2 will probably be the most competitive district, especially if the panhandle were to become more DC-like. Then again WV will lose a district in 2020 and that are will probably go to the 1st.