HUNTINGTON -- West Virginia Republican leaders hope to gain more seats in the House of Delegates by targeting their resources in multi-delegate districts while protecting GOP incumbents in single-delegate districts.
Republicans hold 16 of the 36 single-delegate districts in the House, but Democrats have an overwhelming edge in the multi-delegate districts.
Overall, Democrats have 72 seats in the House, to the Republicans' 28.
State GOP Chairman Doug McKinney and other Republican leaders see opportunities.
Nine Democrats in the House are not seeking re-election, seven of them to pursue other elected offices.
"It's a lot easier to win an open seat than it is to beat a Democrat," said Mike Ankrom, political director of the West Virginia Republican Club. "We'll pick up a few seats in the House and we'll be lucky to break even in the Senate."
Democrats have a 23-11 edge in the state Senate.
Of course, Democratic officials say they plan to do well in the November election, too.
McKinney said the GOP is putting quality candidates in place in competitive races and keeping their seats in typically Democratic districts.
Cabell County Republican incumbents Carol Miller and Kelli Sobonya, who represent districts 15 and 16, respectively, represent the progress being made by the Republican Party in the state, he said. Both of those districts are three-member districts.
Currently, Sobonya is the only Republican running in House 16, facing a field of three Democrats -- incumbents Doug Reynolds and Dale Stevens and newcomer Amy Herrenkohl. But Miller is joined by Republicans Paula Steward and Jim Carden in the House 15 contest. Incumbents Jim Morgan and Kevin Craig and challenger Carl Eastman are running on the Democratic side.
McKinney said Miller and Sobonya have been strong, well-supported candidates and believed they will win in November. Two candidates have been added to the District 15 race because McKinney said he believes they can defeat Democratic incumbents.
Nick Casey, chairman of the state's Democratic Party, sees it another way.
He expects the Democrats to win the seats held by Republicans Sobonya and Miller in districts 15 and 16. Eastham, president of the Huntington Fire Department's employee union, is a strong candidate poised to take away Miller's seat, Casey said. Miller's position is vulnerable, Casey said, because she won her seat by only 247 votes in 2006.
"Carl (Eastham) has demonstrated to a group of people that he's a leader," Casey said. "He's got uniformed base and union support. We only need 247 votes to close the gap."
Casey said the Democrats see nine "pick-up" opportunities in the House. Unlike the 2000 and 2004 elections, Republicans do not have a presidential candidate that will help them win House seats, Casey said.
"In the last few elections, the Republicans didn't have someone at the top of the ticket that was going to hurt them," Casey said. "But having McCain at the top of the ticket is going to hurt them in certain counties, like Cabell County."
Because Republicans cannot compete with Democrats in fundraising in West Virginia, McKinney stressed the importance of grassroots campaigning. Gaining the support of unaffiliated voters and conservative Democrats and getting them to volunteer regularly is an important aspect of the GOP in West Virginia. McKinney said several training sessions have been set up for state GOP leadership focusing on increasing grassroots activities.
"The Republican Party in West Virginia cannot win without grassroots efforts," he said. "Democrats have us beat two to one in the state, so we have to get the support of Democrats who have voted for Republicans in the past."
Ankrom said Republicans are planning to secure their GOP stronghold over certain counties and win several seats in the House of Delegates.
Races in districts 10, 13 and 27, he and McKinney said, will be competitive in November.
Because of close elections in recent years, Ankrom said the West Virginia Republican Club is prepared to help GOP candidates win seats in the 13th District, which represents parts of Jackson, Mason and Putnam counties. Ankrom said previous Republican candidates have done well in the district and have lost by slim margin in recent elections.
The district is represented by Democrat incumbents Dale Martin and Brady Paxton. Both won their primary elections and advance to the general election.
"It's a pretty Republican district," Ankrom said. "The district is growing our way and we think we'll do well there."
Casey expected, however, that both incumbent Democrats will hold their seats.
7-day Archive
