Why is the West Virginia GOP less conservative than the national GOP?

[WalterWhite]

The two biggest names in the West Virginia GOP are Jim Justice and Shelly Moore Capito. The former is indubitably conservative on social issues but is more moderate on economic issues; he even supported Build Back Better. The latter is actually fairly moderate compared to the national GOP on both economic and social issues (which is really not saying much). While she is obviously pro-life, she opposes a 15-week national abortion ban. Against party line, she also supports equal pay for men and women and stem cell research. She also voted to increase the minimum wage. She is still obviously right-wing, but she is slightly to the left of the national GOP.

Why is the West Virginia GOP less conservative than the national GOP? On economic issues, it makes sense; West Virginia supported FDR's New Deal and LBJ's Great Society; laissez-faire economics would not play well in this state. On social issues, however, it makes less sense; West Virginia is, at this point, one of the most socially conservative states in the country. Will the West Virginia GOP become more conservative to more adequately reflect its constituents?

[TDAS04]

West Virginia may not actually be quite as socially conservative as one might expect from such a rural, pro-Trump state. On issues such as say, LGBT rights, I doubt West Virginia is that close to the level of Mississippi/Alabama-type hostility.

As surprising as it may be to some, almost the entire congressional delegation from West Virginia backed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Robert Byrd was the exception), and as far I know, African Americans in the state could vote, even during the Jim Crow era.

[WalterWhite]

West Virginia may not actually be quite as socially conservative as one might expect from such a rural, pro-Trump state. On issues such as say, LGBT rights, I doubt West Virginia is that close to the level of Mississippi/Alabama-type hostility.

As surprising as it may be to some, almost the entire congressional delegation from West Virginia backed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Robert Byrd was the exception), and as far I know, African Americans in the state could vote, even during the Jim Crow era.

I am not surprised that West Virginia backed the Civil Rights Act. It never struck me as a particularly "racist" state; even nowadays, it is not as conservative as Mississippi or Alabama.

Still, it is to the right of the nation on the majority of issues, so you would expect the West Virginia GOP to reflect that.

[JGibson]

Also, a sizable part of the WV GOP were Democrats in recent times, so that keeps things somewhat moderate.

[darklordoftech]

Because religious issues aren’t what drives WV’s partisanship.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Lack of racial polarization, plus the fact that WV Republicans were historically moderate (they had to be to win elections in a state with a huge D registration edge that only finally eroded recently); it's a state that I think is much more personally attached to Trump than it is to conservative politics as a whole. But I wouldn't be shocked if its next generation of politics were much more right-wing.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     The salience of coal as an issue helps drive GOP success there, which makes more traditional issues far less significant. I'd also suspect that the emergence of a one-party state there leads some moderates who'd otherwise be Democrats to run and win elections as Republicans, a la Missouri.

[Del Tachi]

Most rural states have more moderate GOPs.  Conservatism is the ideology of the suburbs. 

[VPH]

Also, a sizable part of the WV GOP were Democrats in recent times, so that keeps things somewhat moderate.

Possibly, but this leaves me wondering about Mississippi where there have also been many party switches. People like Cindy Hyde-Smith aren't necessarily more moderate for having been Democrats. My guess is there's some other factor, perhaps labor union presence, perhaps state political culture, perhaps racial polarization that made WV Democrats different in the first place from MS Democrats and that got carried over as they switched.

[Libertas Vel Mors]

I'd say it's not so much the ex-Democrat factor as the "elected when Democrats were more common" factor. I'd also say it's much more a leadership phenomenon within the party than a base one.

Of the people you mention, Jim Justice has never won an open Republican primary and Shelly Moore Capito was first elected to Congress in 2000.

Carol Miller (who first won office in 2006, and was elected to Congress in 2015) is also pretty moderate, though you didn't mention her.

But the obvious elephant in the room is Alex Mooney, who is very conservative (supports the gold standard, Freedom Caucus member), beat David McKinley (also a moderate R) in the 2022 primary, and still has non-crazy odds of beating Justice in 2024 even without Trump's endorsement.  It's also worth noting that Patrick Morrisey, who is much more conservative than Justice, is set to be the next Governor.

My best guess is that people like Miller and Moore-Capito hold office despite (or even because of) their moderate views because they were elected decades ago. Running for Congress in WV in 2000 probably required somewhat moderate views; being elected to the House of Delegates in 2006 probably did in some parts of the state as well. Notably, they have both shifted right since then, which shows the direction of the state. And in the long term, people like Mooney and Morrisey are probably closer to where the median WV voter (and even more likely, GOP voter) are, and more likely to be the future of the party.

[Gracile]

Also, a sizable part of the WV GOP were Democrats in recent times, so that keeps things somewhat moderate.

Possibly, but this leaves me wondering about Mississippi where there have also been many party switches. People like Cindy Hyde-Smith aren't necessarily more moderate for having been Democrats. My guess is there's some other factor, perhaps labor union presence, perhaps state political culture, perhaps racial polarization that made WV Democrats different in the first place from MS Democrats and that got carried over as they switched.

Differences in religiosity is probably another factor that explains these differences as MS has a higher share of white evangelicals and higher church attendance rates on the whole than WV. Relatedly, WV's religiously unaffiliated population is significantly more Republican than the national average (Biden only won this group 51-43 per NYT/AP voter survey). One can surmise that because of these demographic differences, MS whites were much more conservative on social issues like abortion even when they were Democrats compared to WV's party-switching cohort.

[Skill and Chance]

Also, a sizable part of the WV GOP were Democrats in recent times, so that keeps things somewhat moderate.

Possibly, but this leaves me wondering about Mississippi where there have also been many party switches. People like Cindy Hyde-Smith aren't necessarily more moderate for having been Democrats. My guess is there's some other factor, perhaps labor union presence, perhaps state political culture, perhaps racial polarization that made WV Democrats different in the first place from MS Democrats and that got carried over as they switched.

Differences in religiosity is probably another factor that explains these differences as MS has a higher share of white evangelicals and higher church attendance rates on the whole than WV. Relatedly, WV's religiously unaffiliated population is significantly more Republican than the national average (Biden only won this group 51-43 per NYT/AP voter survey). One can surmise that because of these demographic differences, MS whites were much more conservative on social issues like abortion even when they were Democrats compared to WV's party-switching cohort.

Yes, Appalachia isn't anomalously religious compared to the rest of the country anymore.  That's more so the coastal South today.

[VPH]

Also, a sizable part of the WV GOP were Democrats in recent times, so that keeps things somewhat moderate.

Possibly, but this leaves me wondering about Mississippi where there have also been many party switches. People like Cindy Hyde-Smith aren't necessarily more moderate for having been Democrats. My guess is there's some other factor, perhaps labor union presence, perhaps state political culture, perhaps racial polarization that made WV Democrats different in the first place from MS Democrats and that got carried over as they switched.

Differences in religiosity is probably another factor that explains these differences as MS has a higher share of white evangelicals and higher church attendance rates on the whole than WV. Relatedly, WV's religiously unaffiliated population is significantly more Republican than the national average (Biden only won this group 51-43 per NYT/AP voter survey). One can surmise that because of these demographic differences, MS whites were much more conservative on social issues like abortion even when they were Democrats compared to WV's party-switching cohort.

Yes, Appalachia isn't anomalously religious compared to the rest of the country anymore.  That's more so the coastal South today.

Really good point. Appalachia (particularly coal country) appears to actually have really low adherence rates, lower even than many Democratic regions.
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