I was just taking a glimpse at the new omnibus
Pew poll of the national electorate. It would appear that WV is, in all likelihood, a GOP state in national elections for the forseeable future.
Here are the sobering results:
-WV is among the top four "hawkish" states in the country (along with AR, KY, and MS)
-WV is among the top ten most religious states in the country
-WV is among the top ten most "traditional" states in the country, in terms of values
-WV is second only to AR among 2000 lean-GOP swing states in terms of Republican gains in Party ID since 9/11. Since 9/11, WV has gone from Rep 31-51 Dem to Rep 33-44 Dem.
AR is in even worse shape than WV, but since Clark might be on the ticket, AR is not a lost cuase in 2004.
NH, on the other hand, looks ripe to become a Dem state in national elections for some time to come:
-NH is one of the ten most "dovish" states
-NH is one of the ten least religious and traditional states
-NH is one of the few states where Dems have gained in party ID since 9/11
-Dems have already spent millions of dollars in NH
-Gore + Nader beat Bush = Buchanan in NH in 2000.
Other observations from the poll:
-Things are looking up for Dems in AZ, CO, OH and VA. Also, OR and WA should be fairly easy for Dems this time around.
-In addition to WV and AR, things look pretty bleak in LA, NV and TN. Not much good news from FL either.
-2004 might be the last year Dems can take IA. To cancel this out, the Dakotas, MT and even WY might be in play soon.
-MI might not be as in the bag as we think. Despite recent gains, PA will be difficult as well.
Anyway, the poll is a treaure trove of good information, so be sure to check it out.