It’s our only pickup. I was wrong about the Kentucky House, but, thankfully, I was also wrong about the West Virginia Senate. 24 D’s, 10 R’s, and 17 up for election, twelve of them D’s. To get a tie they had to pick off seven out of twelve, while holding on to their five seats. My God, beating seven of twelve incumbent State Senators just doesn’t happen. But it did, so they’ve got a 17-17 split, with no Lieutenant Governor to break a tie.
I’m speculating here, but it’s informed speculation. Why would any West Virginia Republican State Senator abandon his caucus and give the D’s their 18th vote? Corruption — it would be the only explanation. Could happen.
Why would a Democrat State Senator abandon his caucus and give the R’s their 18th vote? Political expediency, or, save your own ass while you can. If you’re up in 2016, as twelve of these D senators are, you realize you’re on a sinking ship. As long as Obama is in the White House it’s poison to be a Democrat in West Virginia. You bail.
So we picked up a target, which we needed. If we can’t hang on to Maryland, West Virginia will be our 34th state. No room to spare. Run the table, win ’em all.
I’m afraid it will have to be in 2016, though. Virginia meets for 30 days, next year, and we haven’t even gotten it through the House yet — itself no sure thing. We have no real champion in the Senate, and would have to get every Republican State Senator. Possible? Yes. Realistic? No.
I’ve said before the Task Force is going to need some major help to get to 34. If we don’t get help in time for 2015’s sessions, we’ll have the summer and fall to drum up support. As long as we’re at 30 or so we’ll be given a hearing. This is when the Republican Presidential campaign gets going. I believe we’ll get the active support of one or more of these campaigns — Kasich, Paul, Jindal, Pence and Perry.
There’s a meeting of the West Virginia State Senate Democratic Caucus going on right now. There used to be 24 of them; now it’s 17. They got their asses handed to them. They’ll talk about how they need to stay unified, collectively cut some kind of power sharing deal with the R’s. But they have to be unified, nobody can bolt and cut a deal on their own. They don’t trust each other. Everyone is thinking the same thing — if I don’t cut my own deal, which one of these sons-of-bitches is going to do it, and what will they get for it?
These are fun meetings. My first Alaska Republican State Senate Caucus was one. The Senate was split 10-10, and it was just a question of who bails.
It wasn’t me.
reaganproject.blog 