Trumps Underdisccused bad performance in West Virginia

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

He was the first republican candidate in decades to see his margin in that state shrink with the state even trending democrat by a poin this year. The state re-elected a democratic senator last year and has a very narrow registration advantage. This is despite running against one of the most explicitly anti-fossil fuel candidates in recent history.

I can see Manachin easily surviving in 2024 if this countinues.

[Oregon Eagle Politics]

Republicans maxed out in the rural parts of the state in 2016, while the most educated and urbanized parts of the state had plenty of room to reach almost Obama 2008 levels of support.

[Roll Roons]

He still won it by nearly 40 points. And before 2020, WV had trended red in every election since 1992. The GOP was bound to hit a ceiling sooner or later, and it appears they did so in 2016.

Tester and Brown might survive in 2024, but I really don't see how Manchin does. He'll need to outrun the top of the ticket by at least 35 points. Ticket splitting does happen even in federal races (Fitzpatrick, Katko, Collins), but not to that degree anymore.

[mileslunn]

Dead count bounce.  No different than Trump doing better in California.  Just like Democrats were maxed out in California, GOP was maxed out there.  Trump still won state by massive margin and second biggest of all states behind only Wyoming.

[IAMCANADIAN]

I know this is a meme thread responding to the Hawaii one but trump beat his % of the vote in   West Virginia. margin difference can be accounted for by 2016 Libertarian and Green Party voters voting against Trump.

[DaleCooper]

Jokes aside, what is actually under-discussed is how terrible Democrats did downballot in West Virginia. Any remaining legacy strength the party had in that state is gone, regardless of the office they're contesting.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Jokes aside, what is actually under-discussed is how terrible Democrats did downballot in West Virginia. Any remaining legacy strength the party had in that state is gone, regardless of the office they're contesting.

Wasn't too unexpected, it wasl always on borrowed time.

[Inmate Trump]

Tester and Brown might survive in 2024, but I really don't see how Manchin does.

He'll either retire or switch parties.

[King of Kensington]

Illinois and California trending R!  West Virginia trending D! 

[King of Kensington]

It's underdiscussed because it's so insignificant.

[Oregon Eagle Politics]

Tester and Brown might survive in 2024, but I really don't see how Manchin does.

He'll either retire or switch parties.

He won't switch parties. He voted to impeach Trump 2x, and votes for nearly every Big Democratic policy.

[kwabbit]

I don't think Trump's slightly worse than 2016 performance in WV was particularly surprising in the context of national results.

Trump did a lot worse with college-educated Whites, a tiny bit worse with non-college-educated Whites, a lot better with Hispanics and slightly better with Black voters.

WV's electorate is around 95% White, and Trump did worse with Whites, so Trump should've done worse in WV.

I don't think the GOP has a hit a ceiling in any of the more rural areas of the state, and they should continue to make gains there, but they don't have much room to grow in Kanawha or Monongalia. The growth of the DC metro counties, the only counties in the state that are really growing, will also provide a leftward counterbalance.

[GregTheGreat657]

No stimulus before the election probably hurt him in WV more than in other states. WV has more of the sorts of jobs where people simply weren't working for a couple of months, rather than the types of jobs that could go virtual, so the economy probably hurt him more there than other places

[Leroy McPherson fan]

Jokes aside, what is actually under-discussed is how terrible Democrats did downballot in West Virginia. Any remaining legacy strength the party had in that state is gone, regardless of the office they're contesting.

Their Longtime Dem Treasurer John Perdue lost to Riley Moore.

[darklordoftech]

Hillary said “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners out of business”, so that might have left Biden with nowhere to go but up in West Virginia.