The New York Times

August 26,2004

CQ TODAY

Republican Convention: West Virginia Delegation

By Catherine Wilfong, CQ Staff

Of all the states that George W. Bush won as the 2000 Republican presidential nominee, none was less expected than West Virginia. Its largely working-class population, strong history of organized labor activism and enduring pockets of Appalachian poverty have made West Virginia one of the premier Democratic Party strongholds in the nation. Presently, the governor, four of the state's five members of Congress and about 70 percent of the state legislators are Democrats.

Yet many of West Virginia's voters — including a sizable slice of the blue-collar constituency that normally is the Democratic Party's base — are social conservatives who value religion, oppose abortion and strongly favor gun owners' rights.

And Bush's emphasis on this side of his agenda helped him sweep past Democrat Al Gore four years ago -- and do so by a fairly comfortable 6 percentage-point margin in a state that had twice favored Democrat Bill Clinton by double-digit percentages and even sided with party nominee Michael S. Dukakis over the elder George Bush in 1988.

This year, the close race in West Virginia is sneaking up on no one. Both Bush's campaign and that of his Democratic challenger, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, have declared it a "battleground" state from the start.

And Republicans ~ including the state's 30 in New York as delegates to the national convention ~ are as determined to keep the state's five electoral votes in Bush's column as the Democrats are to take them away.

"Their goal is to go to the national convention and get excited about once again carrying West Virginia for President Bush," state Republican Party executive Gary Abernathy.

Abernathy said he believes Bush's 2000 win signals a new era in state politics. "We think the state is in the midst of a turnaround politically," said Abernathy. "I think West Virginians are really aligning themselves much more with President Bush's policies than with a liberal senator from Massachusetts."

Cindy Frich, a member of the state House of Delegates, wholeheartedly agrees that Kerry's views are not those of most West Virginians.

"I don't think he represents West Virginians' values, and I am very concerned about what he would do in terms of national security," Frich said of Kerry, while listing positions such as opposing abortion, defending traditional marriage and advocating gun owners' rights as chief among her concerns.

"I think there's a picture painted that he supports gun rights, but I don't think his voting record backs that up," she said of Kerry.

Many observers believe that Al Gore's stance in favor of gun control cost him the election in states such as West Virginia, which has one of the nation's highest rates of gun ownership.

Another top issue with West Virginia delegates is coal, one of the state's top industries. "The use of West Virginia coal is necessary for America to gain energy independence," Frich said.

Delegates to the national convention are hopeful that the president will have a beneficial impact on Republicans running for state office.

"I think there's an enthusiasm for the candidates on the Republican side," said former one-term Rep. Cleve Benedict (1981-83), who chaired the West Virginia delegation in 1996.

Benedict noted Bush's many trips to the state, coupled with the campaign's "aggressive" grass-roots effort. "I think our guys are heavily motivated," he said.

West Virginia Stats

- 5 electoral votes

- 30 delegates

- Delegation Chairman: Kris Warner, state party chairman

- Hotel: Millennium Broadway Hotel New York, 212-768-4400

- Republican vote in past elections:

1988:48%

1992:35%

1996:37%

2000: 52%