The rise (during and after the New Deal Era) and collapse (since the 1980s) of labor unions as a social and political force has played a predominant factor in changing West Virginia's political alignment over time. Now, West Virginia has always been a culturally conservative place. It separated from Virginia in order to stay in the Union (making it a Republican state), but then became a conservative Democrat bastion during the Reconstruction Era as it resisted what it viewed as overreach by the federal government. Then, over time, it slowly transitioned into a conservative Republican state once again. It was the New Deal Era and the rise of labor unions that made it such a strong Democratic state from 1932 onwards.
Interesting, I was wondering why West Virginia voted the way it did pre-New Deal. It may surprise some people that it was never part of the Solid South (not even during the New Deal), but then again, Civil War Unionism explains its early Republican inclinations (even though it didn't stay Republican like East Tennessee).
