It's Inevitable, Democrats Will Lose Power in West Virginia Within a Few Years

It's inevitable. It has a momentum all its own. And no one is pushing it faster than those that stand to lose the most.

West Virginia will soon be a Democratic minority state. I would say this process will be complete by at the latest 2014.

Yes Democrats have the majority of registered voters now, but they face a steady stream of defections from their ranks. New voters who see little future in what Obama promises, who understand that leftists want to steal the rewards of ambition and work, they are leaving. Miners and their families, even in die hard Democratic counties, are leaving. People who have clung fiercely to the Democratic Party for generations have found that Obama, Pelosi, Mollohan, etc do not follow policies that will put food on workers' tables in West Virginia. Demographics do not favor Democrats. The older generation is passing on, taking away the last of the FDR voters and some of those inspired by Kennedy. Younger people tend to choose Republican or Independent registrations.

But will West Virginia be a Republican majority state? It all depends. In state history, party switches happen quickly. Chaning conditions and party stances often provoke powerful and fast changes. West Virginia has never been a two party state.

In the 1890s Stephen Elkins, pictured to the left, brought organization and leadership to West Virginia in a time when major party shifts took place nationwide. Elkins sold the GOP vision in West Virginia. Not everyone was entirely on board in support of Elkins, but the people favored the development policies he advocated. West Virginia moved from the Democratic to the Republican Party.

Republican leadership in West Virginia is moving forward to take advantage of the shift taking place in the state. It must continue to remind voters that Republicans here support development and oppose additional federal burdens. They must stay committed to lowering taxes and reducing spending at all levels of government to gain support.

Democrats are declining quickly in West Virginia, but it is not yet inevitable that Republicans will gain a clear majority. Disgusted Democrats and Tea Party style libertarians for different reasons are choosing to remain independent. To gain and keep the support of both, the GOP must continue to support basic anti-tax and pro-development issues. Elected officials must also act on the principles that got them elected.