Sarah Marino, Times West Virginian
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — Newly-published data from the 2020 U.S. Census shows West Virginia lost nearly 65,000 residents in the previous decade.
John Kilwein, associate professor of political science at West Virginia University, said the result is that the Mountain State will lose a seat in the U.S. Congress, part of a continuing trend and the political fallout from population decline.
“Still, the drop is small, relatively speaking, and the state’s hard political shift to a dark shade of red since the election of President Obama means that the loss of one House seat will have a negligible impact on West Virginia’s small role in presidential elections,” Kilwein said.
Kilwein also mentioned the prominence Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is currently experiencing in the U.S. Senate has a positive impact on the state.
“The state’s power in Congress will be more dependent on the powers and circumstances of its individual elected officials rather than the number of seats it has in the House,” Kilwein said…
