Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, West Virginia

Who Runs the States

Main Report Pages

Main Page • Part 1 • Partisanship Infographic • Part 2 • Part 3

Partisanship Results Report (Part 1)

Executive Summary • State Partisanship Analysis • Partisan Control of Governorships • Partisan Control of State Legislatures • Partisan Control of State Senates • Partisan Control of State Houses • State Government Trifectas • Overall Partisan Control: Bright, Medium and Soft States • Changes of Partisan Domination over 22 years • Year-to-Year Changes in State Partisan Control • Trifectas and Presidential Election Patterns • Conclusion • Methodology • Appendix A • Appendix B

State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) Report (Part 2)

Executive Summary • State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) • About the Index • Overall Rankings • Dramatic Changes from 1st Half to 2nd Half • Individual Indicators • Methodology • Appendices

Partisanship and (SQLI) Overlay Report (Part 3)

Introduction • Comparing Partisanship and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) Rankings • Description of the data • Trends and correlations • Methodology • Key Values for Fifty-State Regressions • Appendices

Praise or blame is extended to political parties for the economic, educational, health and other quality of life outcomes that result from the policies those parties enact into law. To better understand which political party enjoys power in each of the states, Ballotpedia has analyzed state government control from 1992-2013 using the concept of a "partisan trifecta." A partisan trifecta is defined as when a state's governorship and legislative chambers are controlled by the same political party.

The two major political parties claim that their policies will lead to better outcomes. What does the data show?

At Ballotpedia, we explored these issues in a three-part study, Who Runs the States.

This page takes a specific look at how West Virginia performed in the study.

Background about the study

See also: Ballotpedia: Who Runs the States

Part One examines the partisanship of state government from 1992 to 2013. Part Two establishes a State Quality of Life Index (SQLI), aggregating a variety of existing state indices into one measurement. Part Three will overlay the two reports, looking for trends and correlations.

Part 1: Partisanship analysis

Since 2000 when George W. Bush carried West Virginia, the state has seen an increasing shift in partisanship in the GOP direction. In 2012, President Obama lost all 55 counties in West Virginia -- the first time ever that a major party's presidential candidate was completely shutout in the state.

West Virginia Governor

From 1992 to 2013, West Virginia had Democratic governors in office for 18 years, including the last 13, while there were Republican governors in office for four years. West Virginia is one of seven states that were run by a Democratic governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. West Virginia was under Democratic trifectas for the final 13 years.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992-2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

West Virginia Senate

From 1992 to 2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the West Virginia State Senate. The West Virginia State Senate is one of 16 state senates that was Democratic for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. West Virginia was under Democratic trifectas for the final 13 years.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

West Virginia House of Representatives

From 1992 to 2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the West Virginia State House of Representatives. The West Virginia House of Representatives is one of 18 state Houses that was Democratic for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992-2013. West Virginia was under Democratic trifectas for the final 13 years.

Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican state houses of representatives from 1992 to 2013.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of West Virginia, the West Virginia State Senate and the West Virginia House of Representatives from 1992-2013.

Partisan control changes

There were two partisan control changes in West Virginia during the study period. The average number of changes in the 50 states was four, putting West Virginia less than the average.

Part 2: State Quality of Life Index (SQLI)

West Virginia’s average ranking over the course of the study period was 48.81, which puts it at 49 in the overall SQLI ranking.

• The years that West Virginia had the highest ranking were 1992 and 1995-2000, in which it ranked 48th.
• The years that West Virginia had the lowest ranking were 2006-2008, in which it ranked 50th.
• The index type that West Virginia had the highest ranking in was Tax Freedom Day, in which it ranked 10th.
• The index types that West Virginia had the lowest ranking in were Voter Turnout and Well-being Index, in which it ranked 50th.

West Virginia SQLI 1992-2012
Index	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
24/7 Wall St Best/Worst Governed States	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	38	39	24
America's Health Rankings	48	47	48	48	46	43	44	47	47	44	44	47	48	42	47	46	43	42	43	43	47
CAFR Debt/GDP	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	48	47	48	46	42	42	42	N/A
Chief Executive Magazine Best and Worst States for Business Survey	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	30	44	35	40	37	34	42	34
CNBC Top States for Business	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	44	47	46	46	46	48
Forbes Best States for Business	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	49	50	50	46	41	43	45
Govt. Employment Share Population	20	20	21	21	23	22	24	24	28	26	27	28	28	28	31	32	32	34	35	36	37
Graduation Rate	18	18	22	20	17	17	15	18	17	12	16	19	21	29	27	25	25	25	22	22	26
Personal Income Per Capita	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	48	49	49	50	49	50	49	48	48	47	47
Poverty Rate	48	48	46	42	46	42	48	46	44	47	46	48	37	44	44	44	40	38	40	45	N/A
Real GDP per capita	50	50	50	50	49	48	48	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	50	50	49	49	49	N/A
S&P Credit Rating	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	38	36	36	36	40	41	43	46	26	26	28	29
State Govt. Spending/GDP	48	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	49	48	46	46	46	46	46	46	N/A
State & local tax burden	17	16	17	18	17	18	18	26	27	25	25	27	27	25	26	24	27	29	32	N/A	N/A
Tax Freedom Day	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	10
Unemployment Rate	50	50	50	49	48	49	50	50	48	38	37	35	29	26	26	23	11	20	25	23	26
Unfunded Pension Liabilities per capita	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	43	40	42	N/A
Voter Turnout	47	47	47	44	44	48	48	46	46	48	48	46	46	46	46	49	49	45	45	49	49
Well-Being Index	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	48	50	50	50	50

Part 3: Partisanship and SQLI Overlay

The chart below depicts the partisanship of West Virginia state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. West Virginia never finished higher than 48th in any year of the study.

Chart displaying the partisanship of West Virginia government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

See also

• Ballotpedia:Who runs the states
  • Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Part One: State Partisanship
  • Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Part Two: State Quality of Life Index (SQLI)
• Governor of West Virginia
• West Virginia State Senate
• West Virginia House of Representatives

Additional information

• ALEC Rich States, Poor States Report

External links

• Full Dataset on Google Docs