West Virginia

[Frodo]

Is West Virginia beginning to go the way of Alabama, Mississippi, and the rest of the Deep South -voting Republican on a national level for president, the Senate, and the House, while continuing to vote Democratic at the state and local levels? It seems to me that given West Virginia's votes for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 that it is beginning to do so.  It should be kept in mind that when a state is beginning to switch its political allegiance, that it often begins at the very top -the presidential race- and then gradually works its way down to the Senate and House levels, before finally reaching the state and local levels.  Is this process of political transformation that has affected the South for the past half-century (and especially since 1972) beginning to happen for West Virginia also?     

[Frodo]

As one of only 4 states to vote Democratic at least twice in the 1980s (MN, HI, and RI being the others) I'd say yes. Remember though that the complete switch takes decades, in fact, a lot of southern states (particularly Lousiana) still haven't changed that much at the local level. Despite the poll mentioned in another thread, Byrd has at least one more re-election and Rockefeller doesn't seem to be in too much trouble either. That's the problem with sudden changes in voting patterns, there's no big candidates for the emerging majority party.

at least until the big-name figures in question decide to switch parties the way Strom Thurmond, Phil Gram, and Richard Shelby (among the most prominent names i can remember off the top of my head) have done.

that said, i am not overly familiar with West Virginia politics, so i do not know any major political figures who seem the most likely to switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.