Source: Politics<\/p>\n
For Elliott Pritt, defecting to the GOP was an obvious choice.<\/p>\n
The West Virginia lawmaker comes from an area of the state that used to be solidly blue \u2014 voters sent a Democrat to his seat in the state House for 24 straight years. But attitudes in his district have recently swung towards Republicans, credited largely to the decline of coal and anger over environmental restrictions.<\/p>\n
So Pritt abandoned the Democratic Party and registered as a Republican in April. He was motivated by a desire to more effectively represent his constituents and take advantage of the opportunities enjoyed by Republicans who wield supermajority control in the state Legislature.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if I were to run again and win, I would look at another term of never getting another bill passed, never getting anything done,\u201d said Pritt, a social studies teacher. \u201cFor the time I\u2019m going to be there I\u2019m not going to sit there and be a lame duck and not get anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pritt is one of the 10 state lawmakers nationwide who have switched parties in 2023. That includes six who jumped from one of the major parties to the other. In 2022, by contrast, just two state lawmakers changed affiliation between the Democrats and Republicans.<\/p>\n
The uptick in party transitions this year speaks to the growing polarization and party feuding inside state capitals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn recent decades, the red states have become redder, the blue states bluer and the number of swing states has fallen dramatically,\u201d said William Galston, senior fellow of governance studies at the Brookings Institute. \u201cWhen this happens, the minority parties lose power in the legislature and the advantages of being in the majority increase.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five of this year\u2019s party switchers involved House Democrats becoming Republicans, reflective of the fact that in recent history the GOP has seen more converts. Since 1994, 173 state lawmakers have switched parties: 83 of those were Democrats who became Republicans, while just 23 Republicans became Democrats.<\/p>\n
West Virginia Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin dismissed the trend of Democrats turning into Republicans as politicians furthering their own careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not so much about ideology than it is about opportunism,\u201d Pushkin said. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to get elected as a Democrat in a deep red state. But it\u2019s not about changing football jerseys \u2014 a lot of us stand for something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pritt is one of two Democrats in West Virginia who switched, and it\u2019s possible that in coming weeks there could be a third: Political insiders speculate that former House Minority Leader Doug Skaff, who resigned his leadership position last week, could shrink the Democratic Party\u2019s ranks even further from its current tally of 11 out of 100 seats. There\u2019s long been speculation that Skaff, a moderate Democrat, will join Republicans, who he votes with often.<\/p>\n
When asked in an interview if he was going to swap parties, Skaff was vague about whether he planned to declare himself a Republican. But he said he\u2019s faced pressure from Republicans to join them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn states like ours it\u2019s becoming harder and harder to be a conservative Democrat,\u201d Skaff said. \u201cIt\u2019s really frustrating. You work really hard to do what\u2019s right and at the end of the day you\u2019re in the superminority.\u201d<\/p>\n
West Virginia Republican Party Chair Elgine McArdle said they\u2019re excited about the increase in Republicans, which is happening with both elected officials and registered voters. Republicans in West Virginia are approaching an unprecedented 100,000 registered voter advantage over Democrats, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course the West Virginia party is growing by the day because I think more and more voters feel left behind by the Democratic Party,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re developing an affinity for our common sense, conservative platform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet McArdle encouraged voters to be cautious about newly named Republicans and examine their reasons for switching.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it because they believe in our conservative principles, or do they want to remain relevant in a state that a Democrat will probably not win?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pritt and Jeffries\u2019 switches had little consequence for the balance of power in the West Virginia state legislature, given Republicans’ mile-wide margins. But in other states that saw allegiance flips, it had huge bearing on what legislation passed.<\/p>\n
Most notably, North Carolina Rep. Tricia Cotham\u2019s move to the GOP handed Republicans supermajority control, allowing them to enact conservative goals like a 12-week ban on most abortions. Republicans\u2019 dominance of the state legislature allowed them to bypass Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who vetoed top Republican priorities.<\/p>\n
A long time Democrat from a blue area near Charlotte, Cotham supported other conservative measures after her swap, like a ban on gender-affirming care for minors and expanded eligibility for private school vouchers.<\/p>\n
Cotham, who returned to the statehouse after working as a lobbyist for several years, said at a press conference announcing her decision that the Democratic Party has \u201cbecome unrecognizable\u201d and prioritizes the political process over continuing its reputation as a \u201cbig tent\u201d party. She said she felt shunned by members of the Democratic caucus.<\/p>\n
Cotham\u2019s change of party enraged Democrats in her district and throughout the state, likely setting herself up for a bitter primary challenge. Democratic leaders called for Cotham to resign. A petition seeking her resignation launched by a Democratic nonprofit in June says it has collected over 7,000 signatures.<\/a><\/p>\n