CHARLESTON, W.Va. — With early voting already in full swing, U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey and other Republicans are emphasizing an electoral basic: vote.
“We have to get the votes out,” Morrisey said at a Republican gathering in Charleston on Monday, the first day of a final push toward Election Day.
“Don’t go alone. Bring friends. Bring like-minded friends.”
Mid-term elections typically bring fewer people out to vote. But there are a lot of signs that this isn’t a typical year.
President Trump — while popular in West Virginia and while not on the ballot — has been at the center of controversy, often on purpose. Trump is returning to West Virginia on Friday to rally.
The Republicans who gathered at a Charleston party headquarters on Monday spoke often of the caravan of migrants in Mexico, about the appointment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, about abortion and about guns.
They also spoke about positive economic signs.
Enthusiasm generated by those issues — controversial as some may be — is key to motivating voters.
Only about 30 people were at the gathering, but those were the well-connected and the most loyal. The candidates asked them to encourage their friends to vote.
“This race is up to you,” Morrisey said.
A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showed 65 percent of those surveyed with high interest in the midterm election.
More national polls are showing that Democratic enthusiasm for voting is up significantly from normal midterms, according to The New York Times.
That was a concern among the West Virginia Republicans who were urging their own supporters to refrain from staying home.
“They are salivating right now about the possibility of taking over the House,” said Congressman David McKinley, a Republican who represents the counties across West Virginia’s northern swath.
Totals released by the West Virginia Secretary of State’s Office after the first two days of early voting showed 16,041 Democrats and 13,454 Republicans had already cast ballots.
Democrats still outnumber Republicans in West Virginia, even though the state has tended to vote Republican in recent years.
“I’ve never seen the Democrats as agitated as they are today,” said Congressman Alex Mooney, a Republican who represents the middle swath of the state. “We have to get out and vote in good numbers.”
It’s a big week for voters who are taking a final assessment of the candidates.
McKinley and his Democratic opponent Kendra Fershee will talk policy ideas during MetroNews’ “Talkline” on Wednesday.
Morrisey and incumbent Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, will debate Thursday evening in an event sponsored by the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.
Then the president flies in to Tri-State Airport in Huntington on Friday in support of Republicans like Morrisey and congressional candidate Carol Miller, who is locked in a tight race with Democrat Richard Ojeda.
“Every race I run, I close the deal,” Morrisey said. “President Trump is coming back to West Virginia. President Trump was the key to turning this race around. Now he’s coming back to help me close the deal.”