Blankenship’s Loss May Aid the Democrats
Republicans voted in West Virginia and made their choice
By Esha Deokar
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
REPUBLICANS OF WEST VIRGINIA had a choice on May 8th between convicted coal monopolist Don Blankenship, Congressman Evan Jenkins, or attorney state general Patrick Morrisey for the midterm elections this November. Each of the candidates brought something new to the conservative party: Blankenship’s year in prison for a coal mishap that killed twenty-nine workers, Jenkins’s previous stint as a Democrat, and Morrisey’s familial ties to pharmaceutical lobbyists.
The winner, Patrick Morrisey, will face incumbent Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat who voted for President Trump’s policies 61% of the time. Since Trump won Appalachia by 68 points last spring, the Democratic stronghold on the Senate nomination has waned, leading to Morrisey’s potential victory this November.
West Virginia cast their presidential ballots for the Democratic party from 1960 to 2000, wavering twice in 1972 and 1984; furthermore, voters have consistently nominated Democratic Senators since the 60s. When Republican candidate George W. Bush began to target Appalachia for conservative party growth –– combined with the up-and-coming candidacy of Barack Obama –– the region veered sharply to the right. The prominence of workers’ rights and the plight of the white coal farmer began to resonate more deeply with the GOP. Democratic action on climate change and a call for a renewable energy shift lost them the vote in “coal country.” By framing Democratic arguments as a “war on coal,” the conservatives successfully shifted the rhetoric in favor of their own candidates. The future of the Democratic Party in West Virginia lies with the coal workers; by offering aid and assistance to the industry and dividing the conservative party, the Democrats may be able to pull off a win in November.
Each of the Republican candidates in the primary used a range of different tactics to sway voters; however, a majority included attack ads and smear campaigns. Mitch McConnell and other leading Republicans have advocated against Blankenship’s nomination, which prompted the latter’s statement that, "Mitch McConnell was one of the few senators that voted after Tiananmen Square not to have punitive actions against China for human rights violations,” even though all of the Senate Republicans voted in favor of punitive actions against the ordeal. Blankenship’s inaccurate statements and loss of appeal in establishment politics put him at a major disadvantage.
Furthermore, Morrisey began to attack Jenkins’s various party affiliations. Initially a Democrat, Jenkins switched to the GOP but changed his mind in 1993, when he appeared on the Democratic ballot again. Since his final switch to the Republican party in 2013, Jenkins managed to counter Morrisey with an onslaught of remarks about Morrisey’s ties to the opioid crisis. Since West Virginia has one of the highest drug overdose rates in the US, Morrisey’s opponents continued to mention his wife, Denise Henry Morrisey, and her profession as a lobbyist for many pharmaceutical companies, as evidenced by federal disclosure forms from 2017. Additionally, West Virginia sued Cardinal Health, a Dublin health care distributor, for oversupplying opiates, thereby causing drug-related deaths in the state. Denise Morrisey’s firm garnered over a million in profit from deals with Cardinal while her husband worked as the attorney general. Morrisey himself was paid over $200,000 to represent a pharmaceutical company funded by another distributor that West Virginia sued. However, Morrisey made it through Jenkins’s campaign strategies, winning the nomination with 34.9% of the vote, while Jenkins trailed behind closely at 29.3% and Blankenship came last at a mere 19.9%.
The victory depended on two key factors: Republican backing and West Virginian support. Morrisey was able to garner support from his current position as state attorney general. He proved his ability to understand and voice the goals of the majority of the West Virginians, claiming that “the Washington elites have looked down on West Virginia and our values.” His strong political presence and ability to resonate with his voting public poised him ready for the victory.
As a polarizing candidate who appeared to voice alt-right goals and agendas, Don Blankenship’s loss relieved the Republican Party. The polls, however, showed Blankenship leading with 31% of the vote a day before the election occurred, most likely with fringe Republicans and the alt-right groups. The Republican Party establishment, including Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump, mobilized to stop his victory over worry that his controversial background and wavering appeal would be insufficient to defeat Joe Manchin. Trump tweeted, “Problem is, Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State…No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!” Many Republicans expressed fear over the primary results in Alabama, with Democratic Doug Jones ready to represent the most conservative state in the nation. The fear of running another polarizing candidate played into the Blankenship’s primary loss. As a coal monopolist and convict, he also lacked the support from many West Virginians, since his opponents frequently tried to characterize him as greedy and careless, which cost him the final blow on his path to victory.
Don Blankenship’s career in politics may not end as fast as the Republicans believe, however. Despite losing the primary, Blankenship announced that he may run under the Constitution Party for the general elections for the US Senate. This recent development may mean that Blankenship’s loss in the primaries could help the Democratic Party. The conservatives want to present a unified front at the general elections, but the arrival of a polarizing, non-establishment third party candidate could potentially upset the voter turnout for Morrisey. A weak conservative front may signify Joe Manchin’s victory and another seat lost for the Republican Party.
West Virginia secretary of state spokesman Steve Adams confirmed that the Constitution Party has nominated Blankenship unanimously and that he has officially registered under third-party candidate. However, West Virginia currently has a “sore loser” or “sour grapes” law in place that forbids major party candidate losers to switching to a minor party for another election. This law prevents those like Blankenship from taking advantage of the system. Blankenship addressed the law in his statement saying that, “we are confident that — if challenged — our legal position will prevail, absent a politically motivated decision by the courts.” Don Blankenship’s candidacy in the Senate election may be the Democratic Party’s chance to maintain their stronghold on a state they once dominated.
On the whole, the results of the West Virginia primary, while finalized, still do not bear fruit for the fate of the Senate seat this November. Either party has a chance to cause an upset, yet Don Blankenship’s potential candidacy may tip the scales in favor of the Democrats.
