West Virginia

Welcome to the West Virginia state page! Here, West Virginia organizers can access and document ongoing projects, current leadership positions, upcoming races, and other important information. This list is non-exhaustive, and state teams are encouraged to expand and adapt these pages to their organizing needs.

Political Landscape of West Virginia

Partisan Composition of West Virginia

Overall, West Virginia is considered a deep red state, with a Cook PVI of R+22 as of 2022, regularly voting 60-70% Republican in statewide races. Joe Manchin is the only Democrat holding statewide office in West Virginia, and he is not running for re-election in 2024. As such, the US Senate delegation is split, the US House delegation is two Republicans, and the governorship is Republican as well. Republicans also have supermajorities in the state legislature, with the West Virginia House of Delegates consisting of 89 Republicans and 11 Democrats and the senate consisting of 31 Republicans and 3 Democrats, giving them a veto-proof trifecta (as of 1/29/24).

Progressive Outlook for West Virginia

The overall progressive strategy for West Virginia is bleak. The state has been very conservative since the re-alignment around 2010 and progressives of any kind have a hard time being elected here on anything other than a local level. Additionally, there are no ballot measures allowed in West Virginia so that avenue isn't available either. As such, strategies should focus on harm reduction while waiting for federal measures. As West Virginia is a semi-closed primary state, it is also recommended that you register as an Independent and take a Republican ballot to vote for the more moderate candidate.

Get Involved

Register to Vote in West Virginia

West_Virginia/Voting

Progressive Organizations in West Virginia

Below is a list of progressive organizations in West Virginia. If you see a state organization that isn't on this list, please add it.

• West Virginia Democrats:As West Virginia is such a red state, the state's Democratic party is likely to be your best bet in organizing for progressive/liberal politics.

Notable Campaigns in 2024

Below is a list of progressive candidates or ballot measures in the 2024 election cycle for West Virginia. Non-progressive candidates may also be placed here if they are substantially to the left of their district's partisan lean and worth campaigning for. If you see a candidate or ballot measure that should be on this list, please add them.

November 5th General Election

There are unlikely to be any swing races in West Virginia for 2024. If you know of any, please list them.

Run for Local Office

An underrated way to impact change is to run for a local position! Please feel free to add information on doing so below.