West Virginia State Democrats Abandon Obama; Some Jump Ship To Republicans

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(Sodahead)

It appears that aligning yourself with President Obama is no longer in fashion when it comes to being a Democrat in West Virginia.

According to an article on the Blue Field Daily Telegraph, West Virginia Democrats are distancing themselves from President Obama while some have jumped ship to the Republicans:

CHARLESTON (AP) — As Republicans rally for more control in West Virginia’s long-time Democratic Legislature, a few Democrats have jumped ship to the GOP and are challenging former colleagues in midterm races.

Republicans face their biggest election opportunity in decades in the House of Delegates, where a four-seat swing would put them in power for the first time in 85 years. The GOP thinks its strategy for federal races translates at the state level: tie state Democrats to President Barack Obama, who lost badly and remains unpopular with West Virginians for policies on coal, social issues and gun rights.

West Virginia Democrats say they don’t align with Washington, D.C., and have their own conservative Democrat brand — one that includes chiding Obama on coal, like proposed coal-fired plant emission standards.

The GOP’s most notable convert is state Sen. Evan Jenkins, who ditched the Democrats to run against 19th-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall. In statehouse bids, at least three other ex-Democrats are following Jenkins’ lead.

Read more here.

 

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