A WVGOP Strategic Outlook & Plan

By Donnie Adkins

I.Introduction

West Virginia state politics have been dominated by Democratic rule for almost 80 years. Aside from the 3 gubernatorial terms of former Governor Arch Moore and the 2 gubernatorial terms of former Governor Cecil Underwood there has been very little Republican influence in West Virginia state politics. I don’t think any serious and intellectually honest individual would make the argument that one-party rule has been positive for our state. Our state is ranked dead last in business climate, our legal system is referred to nationally as a judicial “hell hole”, and our population is smaller than it was in 1950 because citizens have been forced to leave the state to find quality jobs. In 2012, we have an historic opportunity to make West Virginia a two-party state and significantly improve the quality of life and the future of our state’s citizens. 

II.Discussion

A.WV Republican Party 2012 Opportunity

In order to effectively plan for the future of the West Virginia Republican Party we need to make the 2012 election our focus and walk back to the present. In 2012, there will be an unusual number of key positions up for election for this political cycle.  As Senator Byrd continues to age and Governor Manchin is term limited as Governor for this cycle there will be an opportunity to change our state’s power structure. What’s even more encouraging is that we have the talent in the state Republican Party to take advantage of these opportunities.

In 2012 the following Federal positions will be up for election: the Presidential race (where the Republican has carried our state in the last three elections), one US Senate seat and all three Congressional seats. Also, in 2012 at the State level the following positions will be up for election: the Board of Public Works: Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Secretary of Agriculture, 2 Supreme Court seats, half of the State Senate (17 seats), and the entire State House of Delegates (100 seats).

For these seats, there should be a focus on recruiting quality candidates from varying demographics and from different geographic regions throughout the state. The obvious choices are individuals who are involved in party politics throughout the state. However, we must also make a comprehensive effort to recruit the most talented individuals from various professions who have demonstrated success in their field but have not been particularly political in the past.

There are certain parts of the state where we can be successful and others where we can only hope to compete as well as possible. For statewide office there should be an effort to recruit quality candidates from areas where Republicans have traditionally struggled to give the entire ticket a lift in these geographic areas. For state legislative races, there are three types of races: (1) districts where we’ll almost certainly win regardless of the effort, (2) districts where we’ll almost certainly lose, and (3) districts where we can win with a well funded quality candidate.  While we may want to recruit candidates for every position to make the Democrats fight on every front, most of our efforts should focus on supporting Republican candidates in the third type of districts.

B.Proposed Message

We must make it clear that we are still the party that protects the rights of the unborn and the right to bear arms. However, the message of the party should focus on economic issues. The much talked about “Unleashing Capitalism” written by the West Virginia University economist Dr. Russell Sobel is a blue print for correcting many of the structural problems created by bad policies. This book is a good starting point that outlines many of the policies that need to be enacted to address many of the state’s economic issues. In order for our state to enjoy long-term economic success, the policy decisions made by our government will need to go much further and deeper than those suggested in Unleashing Capitalism.

In 1994, Newt Gingrich and the national Republicans swept into to power with a “Contract with America” message that promised to fix the country’s most pressing problems. We should consider developing a “Contract with WV” message to fix the state’s most pressing problems if voters elect our Republican candidates into power.  We should develop a concise 5 or 6 point message that emphasizes important social issues and the economic issues of tax reduction, deregulation, and civil justice reform. Basically, the message should reflect that we are straight line conservative party on social issues and our economic policies will be an effort to bring the state on-line with those states who have demonstrated a track record of consistent economic success. As it stands, our state is a case study for other states in what type of policies not to pursue if you want to achieve economic success in the long term.

While much of the nation is suffering much more than our state from the financial problems plaguing our economy, it is important to note we are weathering the storm better than most because coal prices are higher than usual. The tax dollars from West Virginia coal is keeping our state government in good financial shape.  If these prices fall below a certain level, the state will have problems meeting our financial obligations because our state’s economy is so dependent on the coal industry’s tax dollars and not diversified enough to make up the difference from other industries. This was the problem the state had to endure throughout much of the 1980’s. 

C.Setting Up The Basic Infrastructure Through County Executive Committees

There is an old saying in politics that, “All politics is local”. In order to have mid to long term success the party must be strengthened at the local level. The central command structure for setting up the infrastructure is the state party. The county parties should relate to the state party as the state party relates to the RNC.  The state party should develop open lines of communication and a relationship with the chair of all 55 county executive committees where efforts should be coordinated by the state party to most effectively promote the party’s agenda. At the local level, each county executive committee should be responsible for streamlining and managing the local efforts of the Teen Age Republicans, Young Republicans, College Republicans, Republican women's groups, and other Republican groups in their county.  The county executive committees should also begin to take on larger role in local candidate recruitment and local fundraising efforts to support their candidates.

III. Conclusion

In summary, we should plan for 2012 and work our way backwards to take advantage of this unique historical opportunity to elect Republicans to the most important federal and state offices elected by our state. If we are successful as a party, we can dramatically improve the state’s prospects for a much brighter future. I know implementing our agenda and ideas will allow many West Virginians to stay home and come back home because the quality job opportunities will be as abundant in our state as they are in other states.

Donnie Adkins is a Charleston attorney who pratices law at Jackson Kelly PLLC in their Environmental, Litigation, and Government Relations Departments. When the state legislature is in session he serves as the Chief-of-Staff/ General Counsel to the Republican State Senators. Previously, Donnie worked on Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito's official federal staff in Washington DC and subsequently on her campaign.