A lawmaker in the West Virginia House of Delegates has switched allegiances from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party, shrinking his former party’s presence in the state’s legislature.
Del. Elliott Pritt announced his party switch on Monday, bringing the balance of power in the House of Delegates to 89 Republicans and 11 Democrats. Pritt, who is in his first term, and won in a district previously held by a Republican, said he felt he needed to change parties “if I am to accurately represent my constituents and my people as well as my own conscience.”
“It has become more and more obvious that there is very little room in the party for traditional values or differences regarding political opinion-we are being pushed out,” Pritt wrote in a letter to Democratic House Minority Leader Doug Skaff and the dwindling Democratic Caucus in the House and posted on Facebook. “The values, beliefs, and way of life that the people of Southern West Virginia and Fayette County hold dear are no longer compatible with the trajectory of the Democratic Party.”
Pritt said he would continue to work with Democrats on issues of mutual interest “such as supporting working people, public education, clean water, and issues that will help grow wages and benefits for working-class West Virginians” but said he could no longer support or advocate for positions “that the vast majority of my constituents do not support.”
West Virginia Republican Party chairwoman Elgine McArdle welcomed Pritt’s party switch decision and, in a Monday statement, said, “Like so many West Virginians, Delegate Pritt has recognized that the Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party that our parents grew up with.”
The West Virginia Democratic Party called Pritt a “human weathervane” after the party switch and noted Pritt had previously been a self-avowed Socialist Party USA member, then joined the politically progressive environmentalist Mountain Party of West Virginia, and finished last in a seven-way 2018 election before winning his 2022 election as a Democrat.
“Elliott Pritt’s decision reflects a lack of core values and honesty. West Virginians deserve reliable stewards of the public trust, not political hacks who flap in the breeze,” said West Virginia Democratic Party second Vice-Chair Sam Petsonk. “When Elliott grows disenchanted with the radical, self-centered, divisiveness of the GOP, and inevitably flops to another political home, voters should remember that political opportunism is not the stuff of which real leaders are made.”
Skaff said he is disappointed in Pritt’s decision to switch parties, adding, “It’s kind of odd that just a few weeks ago, he was one of the most vocal Democrats working within our caucus to call out and hold Republicans accountable for their legislative agenda. Elliott made it clear that the Republicans had their priorities wrong on numerous occasions, and I’m curious to see how well he’ll be received within his new caucus.”
Democratic Lawmakers Switching Sides
Pritt’s decision to change party affiliation has come as numerous state Democratic lawmakers have left the party and switched affiliations to join Republicans.
North Carolina State Rep. Tricia Cotham switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party earlier this month, handing Republicans a supermajority in the state’s General Assembly.
Republicans also gained a supermajority in the Louisiana House of Representatives in March after Democrat Rep. Francis Thompson switched party affiliations. Republicans now hold supermajorities in both houses of the Louisiana state legislature, potentially increasing their ability to override vetoes by Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Republicans already held supermajorities in both houses of the West Virginia legislature. They gained 10 seats in West Virginia’s House of Delegates during the 2022 midterm election, moving the balance of power from a 78-22 Republican-controlled house to an 88-12 Republican-controlled house. Pritt’s party switch will thus have a marginal impact on the balance of power in the state legislature.