Replies

1. WV is a democrat state. Goes back generations. Family tradition.
2. Majority of local offices held by democrats. Very strong democrat unions. Teacher union owns local politicians.
3. Only recently have voter registrations begun to shift. Legislative and state-wide offices started shifting to republicans.
4.Republican party apparatus at local and state level doesn’t exist. They are a joke.
5.Democrats see no contradiction in voting for Trump and then down ballot for democrats.
6. West Virginians see no contradiction in strong gun rights (constitutional carry) and love of government programs.
7. WV leads in obesity, opioid deaths, addictions, welfare, SSI, lack of work ethic. Republican ideas and policies are hardly their priority.
8. You have to be local, born here, which means you most likely came from democrat family. No one expects that a President has to be born here.
9. Very small state in population. Everyone knows everyone. Democrat families produce democrat candidates. Same democrat family clans control localities for generations.
10. Outside of Charleston, extremely bifurcated media and cultural markets. Eastern panhandle married to D.C. and Virginia. Northern panhandle to Pittsburgh. Far eastern WV to Ohio. Southern WV to Kentucky.
11. Appalachian heritage resists change. Republicans at local and state level is a change. Trump doesn’t represent change actually represents preservation. The Hilary’s and Biden’s, etc. do.represent change to tradition.
12. Manchin is local. No republican local has the same name recognition.