Democrats say party ‘not finished’ in West Virginia

Pushkin, also a member of the state House of Delegates representing Kanawha County, discussed the path Democrats next must take after overall crushing losses in this week’s general election. Contests saw Democrats lose not just the presidency and all statewide offices in West Virginia but also seats in both the House of Delegates and State Senate.

“Obviously, the Democratic Party as a whole has a problem reaching rural voters,” Puskin said. “The party needs to look more to rural states like West Virginia and keep fighting.”

That strategy also needs applied within West Virginia as state Democrats need to focus more on reaching those in less populated communities, he said.

Pushkin suggested Democrats stick to the issues that most affect people’s lives.They should look to protect funding for schools, fight for bills that favor clean air, water and the environment and “stand up for the marginalized,” he continued.

There will be just nine Democrats in the 100 members House of Delegates and two in the 34-member State Senate next session. Many of the seats won by Republicans went uncontested by Democrats.

Pushkin noted the Democrats do “have a strong bench” as they look for candidates to run for higher office in the future. He added that some of the Democrats who won outperformed even President-elect Donald Trump, who received 70.14% of the vote in West Virginia.

Pushkin, himself, received 74.82% of the vote in his race, while Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, captured 74.28%.

He touted that Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, was heavily targeted and Republicans spent heavily against her in her contest. In the end, he said she campaigned hard and won with almost 52% of the vote.

“There are plenty of people to choose from on our bench,” Pushkin said. “The key is having good candidates, and we had good candidates in this election.

“But when the top of the ballot is only getting 30% of the vote, it is hard for those lower down on the ballot to overcome.”

The economy and high inflation was a large determining factor in the election, according to Pushkin.

Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Policy Affairs at West Virginia University, said it wasn’t such a surprise the Democrats nationally failed to recapture the White House.

“Every incumbent party that has been in power during times of inflation has lost the presidency, and now they’ve lost control of the Senate,” he explained. “It’s not surprising Democrats were booted out.”

Workman also attributed the decline of the coal industry and political power of the United Mine Workers Union to the Democratic Party now having less influence in West Virginia.

“The UMWA was the party’s base of support,” he continued. “Labor unions in the state are now completely impotent, and this is where we end up.”

But in today’s West Virginia, where tourism and recreation have become important economic drivers, Democrats should be able to find a foothold, Workman explained. This is because protection of wildlife and environmentalism typically are issues Democratic voters find important.

The Democrats in the state haven’t figured out their core voters, and they haven’t been able to better differentiate themselves and better explain how their policies differ from Republican options, he said.

It also may be a while before the political pendulum swings back in Democrats favor, according to Workman.

“I think the Republicans are only now just solidifying their power,” he said. “Do I expect there to be some competitive Democratic candidates? Sure. But it will be years before Democrats are a serious threat to Republicans.

“They are going to have to figure out their message that differs from Republicans.”

Then there is the residual Trump factor that still could drive future elections.

“Just because Donald Trump is not on the ballot doesn’t mean he will have no effect,” Workman said. “He is a turnout machine, and he gets people to the polls you wouldn’t normally expect to be there.”

He acknowledges enthusiasm for Trump could decrease during the time of his upcoming presidency, and it will be up to Democrats to capitalize.

Delegate Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio, will be one of only nine Democrats in the House of Delegates beginning next year, with only two Democrats set to serve in the West Virginia Senate.

Election night totals showed him receiving more than 57% of the vote in this week’s election.

“I take my message directly to the people,” Fluharty said. “I don’t play to the background noise from the extreme. People know me and the work I put in, and they respect me.”

There are Republicans who have told him he is the only Democrat for whom they would vote, and he is known for being vocal in standing up for issues and speaking on the House floor.

“This helps me from getting caught up in the political wind, political nonsense in elections,” Fluharty said. “All the political negativity tries to frame a candidate in a certain way. I get beyond that. I’m straight to the point, and they (voters) know me.”

Too often negative political messaging about a candidate attempts to put the candidate “in a box,” he continued.

“I refuse to be put in a box, and it gets rewards,” Fluharty said. “They’re not going to turn me into a political soundbite.”

Pushkin added that hopefully this past election “will wake the party up,” and he rejects the notion that the party is on the decline.

“A lot of people make predictions,” he continued. “After Jan. 6, many people thought Donald Trump was finished. They were wrong.

“Now there are those saying the Democratic Party is finished, and they are wrong. The Democratic Party isn’t finished,” Pushkin said.