Posted on 04/28/2026 4:28:52 PM PDT by Libloather
A wave of party switching in West Virginia is reshaping the state’s political landscape, with tens of thousands of voters — including more than 16,000 Democrats — registering as Republicans since early 2024, according to new data released by the secretary of state.
West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner reported that 68,235 voters have changed party affiliation since Jan. 31, 2024, signaling a significant shift ahead of the state’s May 12 primary election.
Among the biggest changes, 16,910 voters switched from Democrat to Republican, while another 20,003 unaffiliated voters also moved to the GOP, according to the data.
At the same time, 12,299 Democrats left their party to become unaffiliated, and 7,559 Republicans also dropped their party affiliation, suggesting a broader reshuffling among voters across the state.
Smaller shifts included 5,211 voters moving from unaffiliated to Democrat and 2,399 switching from Republican to Democrat.
As of April 23, the data Warner shared shows 519,756 registered Republicans, 327,089 registered Democrats and 301,933 independents. The latter two add up to about 620,000 people, outnumbering registered Republicans.
The changes come as West Virginia prepares for its upcoming primary, with more than 1.19 million registered voters currently eligible to participate. Officials said that number will be finalized ahead of the April 28 deadline for updating voter rolls.
Early in-person voting begins April 29 and runs through May 9.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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JD Vance’s home grounds…
West VA has voted for Trump for President three times at 68 to 70 percent of the vote.
BFD-already red.
I thought JD was from Ohio?
His family is from Kentucky.
Part of the 3 Rs exodus out of Appalachia. Reading, wRitin’ and Route to Ohio!
Yes he is, the Rust Belt — I was referring to Appalachia as a whole.
He also spent time a lot of time with his grandparents in Kentucky.
“Hillbilly Elegy”
I think you are in Md., but should have W. Va. neighbors to lobby.
Md. can get quite narrow.
I’m not at all sure of your current localization situmation.
Enlighten us re: things on the ground locally.
good news
What’s happening here is some seriously clumsy writing. GOP had the lead. Rats and independents between them have more. So more GOP “narrows the (aggregate) lead” of two other groups? It doesn’t even make sense to phrase it that way
Hurricane floods and autopen’s FEMA leaving them hanging out to dry.
Eat a bag of dicks leftist troll pretending to be just a pessimist.
This might be an infiltration to influence the primaries rather than a genuine switch. I mean, so many at once? Are they in college towns?
About time
Ohio and Kentucky.
Isn’t this old news?
I’m in that skinniest part and everyone is all diehard red here.
I’m surrounded by good, sane people.
WV is but a mile away across the river.
God’s country.
Despise the state government but love my Western Maryland.
/proud hillbilly
The Appalachian uprising.
We’re sick of the liberals sh:t.
There’s actually an Appalachian Separatist movement.
If we had it our way, we’d just make our mountains a new country.
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