West Virginia Democratic Party leaders are criticizing Delegate Jason Barrett for his party switch.
Barrett, who just won re-election last month as a Democrat, announced on Friday that he would be switching his registration to Republican.
“Delegate Jason Barrett has prioritized his own political ambitions over the interests and the will of the voters of the 61st District,” stated Rod Snyder, vice chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party.
“Delegate Barrett was dishonest with his own constituents about the agenda he intends to support in Charleston. The West Virginia Democratic Party and the Berkeley County Democratic Executive Committee will begin working together immediately to find the strongest possible candidate for 2022 to provide an alternative to Delegate Barrett’s self-serving opportunism.”
Barrett was first elected to the House in 2012 when Democrats held the majority. He was defeated in 2014 but then returned and won in 2016 and 2018. He won again last month, on the ballot as a Democrat.
He filed the paperwork to switch parties in Martinsburg on Friday afternoon.
Barrett said he is making the change because he believes he can be more influential in improving opportunities for West Virginians while working with the GOP majority.
“I want to focus on policy, and doing things that attract people to West Virginia and policies that attract business to West Virginia,” said Barrett, a Martinsburg resident.
Barrett said he’d heard too much recently from Democrats about growing their numbers in the Legislature and not enough about policy and practical ways to affect lives.
Many of those conversations occurred during Democratic caucus discussions of a new minority leader. Barrett supported his ally on the Finance Committee, Delegate Mick Bates, D-Raleigh. Most of the caucus instead selected Delegate Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, who has a focus on messaging.
“I heard far too much about politics and optics and too little about policy and the ways we can improve the lives of West Virginia,” he said. “I don’t drive four and a half hours to play politics and optics. I take this job extremely seriously.”
Skaff, in a statement, said House Democrats need to focus on increasing their numbers so they can influence policy.
“In the House Democratic Caucus, we know the task at hand, in a volatile climate during a time marked by divisiveness and pandemic, we will have to put forward an agenda that truly represents the needs of a population that is hurting,” Skaff stated.
“With 23 out of 100 members, will this be a challenge? Yes, but with that challenge there will be growth, understanding, and a future where we can advance policies that rebuild our communities, and West Virginians can thrive here at home. That was the plan discussed not even one week ago with Delegate Barrett in attendance. So, if one does not feel equipped to take this on, truly build something from the ground-up, and stand firm in their values when the chips are down, then this isn’t the Caucus or Party for you.”
Barrett said he first registered as a Democrat in 2000 when he was a new voter at age 18. He described being influenced by the time he’d spent with his grandparents.
“I always believed in things important to Democrats,” he said. “From 2000 to now the political climate has changed.”
In October, Barrett married Summer Ratcliff, who had been involved with state GOP politics. She had worked for the campaign and administration of Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, until earlier this month when she went to work for the lobbying firm WVOMEGA, formerly the West Virginia Oil Marketers and Grocers Association.
Barrett said that had no bearing on his own party affiliation.
“Summer loves me for who I am and not what political party I’m in,” Barrett said. “This decision is mine. Obviously with any big decision in life, I talk to my wife about it.”
WVOMEGA recently won a 12-month contract from the Berkeley County Council to lobby for local interests at the Legislature. The contract is worth $16,000 a month, plus up to $48,000 in expenses.
Several Democrats in the House of Delegates have publicly noted the timing of the contract with Barrett’s switch.
The Eastern Panhandle, including Berkeley County, has a significant legislative presence, including new Senate President Craig Blair of Berkeley County, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Trump of Morgan County, Senate Education Chairwoman Patricia Rucker of Jefferson County, House Finance Chairman Eric Householder of Berkeley County and Delegate Paul Espinosa, a Jefferson County resident who serves as the majority whip in the House of Delegates. All are Republicans.
Berkeley County Council President Doug Copenhaver Jr. described to the Herald-Mail of nearby Hagerstown, Md., the challenge of getting support for the county’s legislative priorities from lawmakers across the state, not just those who represent the Eastern Panhandle.
“What a good lobbyist in our vision would be, is to go down and make those meetings and be able to meet with those people (from other areas of the state) and … actually enhance the opportunity for our local legislators (to work bills through the legislative process),” Copenhaver told the newspaper.