West Virginia has gone back and forth between red and blue for decades, electing Democrats while overwhelmingly backing President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. So it’s anyone’s guess who will emerge the victor in the race between Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin and his Republican challenger, West Virginia State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. That’s where veteran pollster Frank Luntz comes in.
In most states, Trump’s overwhelming popularity would mean a Democratic senator wouldn’t have a chance, but Manchin is doing quite well: According to one of the latest polls out of the state, which was conducted before Manchin voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, he was up by about eight points.
So what is it about West Virginia voters that allows them to walk a line between support for Trump and support for Manchin — and how did Manchin’s vote for Kavanaugh affect their view of the senator? Luntz recently convened a group of 12 swing voters to try to answer that question. CONT.
Shawna Thomas, Vice News