Rhodes Cook is a veteran Washington political analyst who tracks national elections and voting trends and publishes a bimonthly political newsletter. Click here for Cook’s full bio.
One of the byproducts of the long-running Democratic primary campaign is that every week a new state or two get a chance to enjoy the national spotlight. This week, it was West Virginia.
Over the last two-thirds of the 20th century, this predominantly white, working-class stronghold was one of the most faithful members of the Democratic presidential coalition. It was one of 13 states to support Hubert Humphrey in 1968; one of 10 to vote for Michael Dukakis in 1988; and one of merely six states to back the re-election bid of Jimmy Carter in 1980.
Yet in recent years, that has all changed. A state that describes itself as “Almost Heaven,” has been anything but for Democratic presidential nominees. And it has produced a significant headache for the national party that exists to this day.
http://blogs.wsj.com/politicalperceptions/2008/05/16/west-virginia-far-from-heaven-for-democrats/