West Virginia 2000

[Robespierre's Jaw]

I was wondering today, why did West Virginia, a traditional Democratic stonghold for many years voted for George W. Bush in 2000? Dosen't the Democrats control both Houses of the West Virginia Congress and the Governship?

[AkSaber]

A couple of things happened there. The NRA killed Gore in the state, and Clinton really hurt the coal mining industry.

Also, I remember Smash saying that WV is a populist state that was starting to vote on social issues.

[Adlai Stevenson]

George W. Bush's campaign under Karl Rove targeted West Virginia from the beginning.  This was probably the first time the Republicans had made a concerted effort in West Virginia since 1988, and possibly long before then, because it had always been considered a traditionally and loyally Democratic state.  Gun control, mining and social issues as already mentioned also led to Bush's victory.  The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.  It is a question I have always wondered about as well though - I still don't think the answer is quite satisfactory somehow. 

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

[Keystone Phil]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

Why the hell did Kerry pull out anyway? I had him winning WV up until a few weeks before the election.

[HardRCafé]

Because he was tanking.

[memphis]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

Why the hell did Kerry pull out anyway? I had him winning WV up until a few weeks before the election.

It was a long shot with only 5 Electoral Votes. Better to focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida.

[Keystone Phil]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

Why the hell did Kerry pull out anyway? I had him winning WV up until a few weeks before the election.

It was a long shot with only 5 Electoral Votes. Better to focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida.

I'm just wondering why they allowed it to become a longshot.

[WalterMitty]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

Why the hell did Kerry pull out anyway? I had him winning WV up until a few weeks before the election.

It was a long shot with only 5 Electoral Votes. Better to focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida.

I'm just wondering why they allowed it to become a longshot.

they didnt completely write off wv.

they were hoping advertising 'rim-shots' from the pittsburgh market and ohio markets would help them in wv, while saving them money.

[memphis]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

Why the hell did Kerry pull out anyway? I had him winning WV up until a few weeks before the election.

It was a long shot with only 5 Electoral Votes. Better to focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida.

I'm just wondering why they allowed it to become a longshot.

I may as well ask you why you've let Maine, formerly a Republican stronghold, become a longshot. Both parties have obviously drifted over the years, changing the location of their bases. In WV, I would point to a decline in union jobs and the religious push from Republicans.

[Keystone Phil]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

Why the hell did Kerry pull out anyway? I had him winning WV up until a few weeks before the election.

It was a long shot with only 5 Electoral Votes. Better to focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida.

I'm just wondering why they allowed it to become a longshot.

I may as well ask you why you've let Maine, formerly a Republican stronghold, become a longshot. Both parties have obviously drifted over the years, changing the location of their bases. In WV, I would point to a decline in union jobs and the religious push from Republicans.

Except Kerry actually held the lead in WV for awhile in 2004 and Bush never led in Maine that year.

[WalterMitty]

The Gore campaign didn't make a proper effort in the state right until the end.

Not true; they never made a proper effort there. Mind you, turned out that that was better than make a half-hearted effort before staging a big, arrogrant "F*** YOU!" pullout from the state, like a certain candidate did four years later.

I'm not bitter you understand. Not at all. Honest.

Why the hell did Kerry pull out anyway? I had him winning WV up until a few weeks before the election.

It was a long shot with only 5 Electoral Votes. Better to focus on Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida.

I'm just wondering why they allowed it to become a longshot.

I may as well ask you why you've let Maine, formerly a Republican stronghold, become a longshot. Both parties have obviously drifted over the years, changing the location of their bases. In WV, I would point to a decline in union jobs and the religious push from Republicans.

Except Kerry actually held the lead in WV for awhile in 2004 and Bush never led in Maine that year.

republicans were hopeful up until october or so that theyd win one ev in maine.  there was some kind of gun question on the ballot that the republicans (wrongly) assumed would help bush in the rural parts of the state.

[jimrtex]

they were hoping advertising 'rim-shots' from the pittsburgh market and ohio markets would help them in wv, while saving them money.

Wasn't Mrs. Kerry from Pittsburgh and didn't the Kerry's own a mountain home in Sun Valley?

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Gun control Clinton pushed hard on in the aftermath of Columbine and its stronghold among pro-life dems. It went along with MO going from Dem to republican along with the other boarder states.

[Keystone Phil]

republicans were hopeful up until october or so that theyd win one ev in maine.  there was some kind of gun question on the ballot that the republicans (wrongly) assumed would help bush in the rural parts of the state.

I know but no polls ever showed them winning that district or the state.

[Alcon]

I know but no polls ever showed them winning that district or the state.

I think there was one poll that had Kerry up by like 4 that had Bush up by 1 in that district.  In any case, there was one poll that split the EVs up, and it showed ME-2 much closer.

In the end, though, I put it as lean...so clearly the polling evidence wasn't very strong by the end.  I went nearly entirely by polls.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

There was an offhand chance that Bush might win an electoral vote in Maine, but it wasn't something he seriously pursued.

Kerry, meanwhile, did pursue West Virginia, and the harder he worked, the more it seemed he lost ground there.  He only pulled out when it became hopeless.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I was wondering today, why did West Virginia, a traditional Democratic stonghold for many years voted for George W. Bush in 2000?

Becuase it was rigged. The rogue counties in the suburbs and the eastern panhandle piled on a bunch of GOP votes at the end.

Kind of like what happened in Illinois in 1988.

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At the time, I think the governor was a Rethug, so that was part of the problem.

[HardRCafé]

At the time, I think the governor was a Rethug, so that was part of the problem.

He was just an amateur rigger compared to the Democrat governor four years later.  Haw haw.

[Person Man]

Easly, the unions became less important the Pentacostal church and other cults became more important to West Virginians.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Easly, the unions became less important the Pentacostal church and other cults became more important to West Virginians.

The part of West Virginia in which Pentecostalism is strongest voted for Gore. Try again.

[minionofmidas]

The changes in West Virginia's population distribution over the last decades obviously have nothing whatsoever to do with it? -_-

[Alcon]

Easly, the unions became less important the Pentacostal church and other cults became more important to West Virginians.

The part of West Virginia in which Pentecostalism is strongest voted for Gore. Try again.

That doesn't necessarily mean the Pentecostals voted for him, though.  It might be that the non-Pentecostals there vote Dem heavily because they are unusually poor, not atypical for a Pentecostal area.

(Not arguing with you about West Virginia here, of course...I take your word as sacrosanct on that.  )

[Filuwaúrdjan]

That doesn't necessarily mean the Pentecostals voted for him, though.

Oh, true, very true. But it's a pretty clear indication that Gore's defeat can't just be blamed on an increase in the numbers of Pentecostalists in West Virginia (for one thing it's not even clear if there was an increase in their numbers in WV between '90 and '00; a curious contrast with just about everywhere else in the U.S).

[Person Man]

So, why does it continue to vote that way, then?