Thousands of Appalachian voters flip from Democrat to Republican, narrowing registration lead
Tens of thousands of voters in West Virginia have changed party affiliations since early 2024, with over 16,000 Democrats switching to the Republican Party. More than 20,000 unaffiliated voters also registered as Republicans, contributing to a narrowing of the Democratic registration lead. The shifts come ahead of the state's May 12 primary election and reflect broader political realignment in the region.
- ▪16,910 voters in West Virginia switched from Democrat to Republican between January 2024 and April 2026.
- ▪An additional 20,003 unaffiliated voters registered as Republicans during the same period.
- ▪12,299 Democrats became unaffiliated, while 7,559 Republicans dropped their party affiliation.
- ▪As of April 23, 2026, there were 519,756 registered Republicans, 327,089 Democrats, and 301,933 independents in West Virginia.
- ▪West Virginia has over 1.19 million registered voters eligible to participate in the upcoming primary election.
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West Virginia Thousands of Appalachian voters flip from Democrat to Republican, narrowing registration lead More than 20,000 unaffiliated voters also moved to the GOP ahead of the state's May 12 primary election By Stephen Sorace Fox News Published April 28, 2026 12:37pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for April 28 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A wave of party switching in West Virginia is reshaping the state’s political landscape, with tens of thousands of voters — including more than 16,000 Democrats — registering as Republicans since early 2024, according to new data released by the secretary of state.
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