CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The chairs of both the West Virginia Republican Party and West Virginia Democratic Party were reporting high voter enthusiasm leading up to Election Day 2020.
“People are energized and ready to vote,” said Belinda Biafore, chair of the state Democratic Party, who predicted that energy would translate to Democrat gains in the Mountain State this election season.
Melody Potter, the chair of the state Republican Party, was expecting a big election night for the GOP.
“There’s just so much enthusiasm and enthusiasm can’t really be measured by the polls,” she said.
Potter said, in addition to large-margin wins in West Virginia for President Donald Trump and U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), she believed all three U.S. House members — 1st District Congressman David McKinley (R-W.Va.), 2nd District Congressman Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) and 3rd District Congressman Carol Miller (R-W.Va.) — were “safe.”
She was also projecting a reelection win for Governor Jim Justice, his first campaign as a Republican, of between 15 and 20 points, but Biafore said she did not think the margin between Justice and Ben Salango, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, was that wide.
“I think Ben’s been out there. He’s been very aggressive. He’s had great campaign ads,” Biafore said.
“The only thing is people haven’t gotten to know him early on, but that’s changed in the last three or four weeks and Ben’s everywhere and he’s talking to the voters.”
On the Board of Public Works, Potter said she expected all of the Republicans to win reelection: Secretary of State Mac Warner, state Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and state Auditor J.B. McCuskey.
In the race for state treasurer, Potter said Riley Moore was giving Treasurer John Perdue, the lone Democrat and long-time officeholder, “a fight.”
In Biafore’s view, Perdue would be staying.
“We’re going to get John Perdue some company on that Board,” she said of the Democrats seeking office: Natalie Tennant for secretary of state, state Sen. Bob Beach (D-Monongalia, 13) for state agriculture commissioner, Sam Brown Petsonk for state attorney general and Mary Ann Claytor for state auditor.
Potter’s prediction was that there would be some close races in the state Senate, but Republicans would hold the majority and possibly pick up a seat.
Biafore said Democrats were primed to “knock off” enough Republicans to take control of the Senate while making “major gains” in the state House of Delegates.
Potter was looking for some GOP seat pickups in the state House of Delegates where Republicans hold the majority.
Campaign and get-out-the-vote efforts continued despite COVID-19.
“It just has changed the way that we have to do things,” Potter said.
However, “People are finding ways to do things — some through phone calls and just talking to your neighbor and the enthusiasm’s running very high. People know what’s at stake. Our state and our country are at stake,” she said.
In the end, on Tuesday, “I think it’s going to be a good day for Democrats,” Biafore said. “The energy level’s are there. The voting numbers are there and I think people are ready for a change.”
For Tuesday’s general election, polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
MetroNews Decision 2020 coverage was scheduled to begin at 7:06 p.m. Tuesday on the MetroNews Radio Network and at dev.wvmetronews.com.