The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

November 5, 2008

West Virginia remains ‘red’ in 2008 presidential race

Mannix Porterfield

This is a West Virginia political map — color it red.

Once again, the rural state where Bibles and guns are treasured items put its faith Tuesday in the Republican presidential nominee, making it three straight elections the GOP has captured West Virginia.

Quite an accomplishment where Democrats start any such race with 2-to-1 voter registration edge.

George W. Bush won the affection of West Virginians in 2000 and their love affair with the GOP was still intact four years later. Sen. John McCain made it a hat trick Tuesday with a crushing defeat of President-elect Barack Obama.

“It came down to West Virginia values,” said Ben Beakes, a McCain spokesman in West Virginia.

“Exit polling showed that an overwhelming majority of voters in West Virginia felt John McCain shared their values. These values are Second Amendment rights, the rights of the unborn and coal. John McCain was right on these issues and Obama has some of the most radical stances on them.”

Final but unofficial results handed 392,663 votes to McCain, while Obama managed 299,874, or the Republican nominee landing a percentage victory of 56 to 43, with the remainder of votes going to a trio of third-party hopefuls.

Seven counties were in Obama’s corner: Boone, Braxton, Jefferson, Marion, McDowell, Monongalia and Webster.

In this region, McCain captured Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming.

Beakes, formerly the chief of staff for Secretary of State Betty Ireland, interpreted the latest presidential results in West Virginia to mean a “shift to a new era of politics.”

“No longer can we categorize politics under one roof,” he said.

“Instead, we have two sets of politics — presidential politics and local politics. I believe this election, along with the 2004 and 2000 election, shows us that our voters view local politics and national politics as separate entities altogether. As long as the Democratic National Committee keeps putting up liberal presidential candidates, West Virginia will remain red.”

— E-mail:

mannix@register-herald.com

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