Democrats outnumber Republicans in West Virginia nearly 2 to 1 - yet this state voted for the Bush-Cheney presidential ticket in 2000 and 2004. Now, the Mountain State will "go Republican" again in the 2008 race for the White House, experts say.

Five major analyst groups unanimously rank West Virginia as a "red state" solidly favoring Republican John McCain for president, according to a Monday report.

University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato - who spoke in Charleston at the 1996 W.E. "Ned" Chilton III Leadership Lecture - said there's "no real chance for upset" by Democrat Barack Obama in West Virginia.

Congressional Quarterly said West Virginia remains "a Democratic stronghold at almost all other levels," and usually supported Democratic presidential candidates before the 21st century, but now is likely to continue its GOP trend this year. The same conclusion is reached by the Cook Political Report, Pollster.com and the Rothenberg Political Report.

Obviously, West Virginia has many DINOs - Democrats in name only. It's odd that they prefer the shallow president who started the needless Iraq war, who plunged America into ruinous debt through trillion-dollar tax giveaways to the rich, and who stood by as millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs went overseas.

Before a single vote was counted on the 2004 election night, The Associated Press reported that Bush had carried the state. The accurate forecast was based on exit interviews with 1,700 people leaving polls. "Nearly half of all voters identified themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians," the AP wrote, adding that Bush was backed by "those with ardent patriotism and conservative social values such as opposition to abortion and gay marriage."

Will those same values - plus prejudice expressed by some West Virginians in the recent Democratic primary - produce a McCain victory in this state Nov. 4? We hope not.

Dixie once was dominated by DINOs. A half-century ago, the "Solid South" had mammoth Democratic registration - but few genuine Democrats. Most Southern whites held right-wing beliefs. Eventually, they switched alliance, and the South became solid Republican. Is West Virginia following Dixie's path? Or will the Mountain State swing presidential loyalty back to the party that aids average folks?

During the 2004 campaign, a book titled The Great Divide: Retro vs. Metro America said the Democratic Party represents progressive, urban, tolerant, better-educated, equality-minded people (the metro group), while the GOP is backed chiefly by rural, narrow traditionalists (the retro segment), plus the party's historic base, the wealthy.

The book ranked West Virginia among 25 retro states containing 35 percent of U.S. population. It urged the Democratic Party to focus on the 25 metro states with 65 percent of the population, and leave the retro states to the GOP.

We hope this simplistic analysis is erroneous about West Virginia. We hope the experts are wrong about the 2008 presidential outcome. We hope the humane, hardworking, help-the-underdog beliefs of West Virginians keep them in the party that shares those values.

Democrats outnumber Republicans in West Virginia nearly 2 to 1 - yet this state voted for the Bush-Cheney presidential ticket in 2000 and 2004. Now, the Mountain State will "go Republican" again in the 2008 race for the White House, experts say.

Five major analyst groups unanimously rank West Virginia as a "red state" solidly favoring Republican John McCain for president, according to a Monday report.

University of Virginia expert Larry Sabato - who spoke in Charleston at the 1996 W.E. "Ned" Chilton III Leadership Lecture - said there's "no real chance for upset" by Democrat Barack Obama in West Virginia.

Congressional Quarterly said West Virginia remains "a Democratic stronghold at almost all other levels," and usually supported Democratic presidential candidates before the 21st century, but now is likely to continue its GOP trend this year. The same conclusion is reached by the Cook Political Report, Pollster.com and the Rothenberg Political Report.

Obviously, West Virginia has many DINOs - Democrats in name only. It's odd that they prefer the shallow president who started the needless Iraq war, who plunged America into ruinous debt through trillion-dollar tax giveaways to the rich, and who stood by as millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs went overseas.

Before a single vote was counted on the 2004 election night, The Associated Press reported that Bush had carried the state. The accurate forecast was based on exit interviews with 1,700 people leaving polls. "Nearly half of all voters identified themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians," the AP wrote, adding that Bush was backed by "those with ardent patriotism and conservative social values such as opposition to abortion and gay marriage."

Will those same values - plus prejudice expressed by some West Virginians in the recent Democratic primary - produce a McCain victory in this state Nov. 4? We hope not.

Dixie once was dominated by DINOs. A half-century ago, the "Solid South" had mammoth Democratic registration - but few genuine Democrats. Most Southern whites held right-wing beliefs. Eventually, they switched alliance, and the South became solid Republican. Is West Virginia following Dixie's path? Or will the Mountain State swing presidential loyalty back to the party that aids average folks?

During the 2004 campaign, a book titled The Great Divide: Retro vs. Metro America said the Democratic Party represents progressive, urban, tolerant, better-educated, equality-minded people (the metro group), while the GOP is backed chiefly by rural, narrow traditionalists (the retro segment), plus the party's historic base, the wealthy.

The book ranked West Virginia among 25 retro states containing 35 percent of U.S. population. It urged the Democratic Party to focus on the 25 metro states with 65 percent of the population, and leave the retro states to the GOP.

We hope this simplistic analysis is erroneous about West Virginia. We hope the experts are wrong about the 2008 presidential outcome. We hope the humane, hardworking, help-the-underdog beliefs of West Virginians keep them in the party that shares those values.