This is the current political look of the of the state by county. Between 1996 and 2006 the Democratic Party in West Virginia went down from having 63.48% to 57.05% of registered voters, while Republican gained from 29.69% to 30.15% in the same time frame.
If current trends continue, next election cycle Wood county will move into the Red County column, they only need 45 more Republicans. Jackson County will switch to a red county in 2011, and Putnam in 2013. By 2017 the Democrats in WV will drop below the 50% level state wide.
The question is why is this switch occurring? The Democrats have held power in West Virginia since the 1930 election, and the state peaked in the 1950's when the population exceeded 2 million. While the rest of the nation has grown we have now declined to 1.8 million. We are last in all the good categories, first in all the bad categories, and the voter registration shift is a sign the people want change.
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