PARKERSBURG - The West Virginia Republican Party will be more aggressive in the 2010 and 2012 elections, the new executive director of the party said Tuesday.
Gary Abernathy was in Parkersburg to meet with Republicans and talk about local and statewide efforts to bolster the ranks of the GOP in elective office around West Virginia. Abernathy was executive director of the Republican Party from 2001 to 2004 when, under former party Chairman Kris Warner, the party made a goal to attain a majority of state-level offices by the 2008 election.
''A lot of the things we did worked well,'' he said.
However, 2008 came and went and the party has fewer Republicans in state office.
Participation by the Republican National Committee and the GOP presidential candidate John McCain to get Republicans to the polls was lacking in 2008, a major difference from the elections of 2000 and 2004 when the Republicans gained seats in the Legislature, Betty Ireland was elected secretary of state, Brent Benjamin was elected to the Supreme Court and President George W. Bush won West Virginia, twice, Abernathy said.
McCain and the national committee knew he was going to win the state and didn't put the money into West Virginia to encourage Republicans to the polls in November, Abernathy said.
The party also actively recruited candidates for office, filling every ballot position in 2004, which helped get more Republicans in office, he said.
''We did it because we gave people someone to vote for,'' Abernathy said.
Abernathy hopes to turn the tide.
The party focus won't be on who will be the Republican nominee for governor as much as it will be on legislative and other offices, he said. The nomination for governor will take care of itself, Abernathy said.
''One of our first goals will be to put Republicans back on the ballot again,'' he said.
Rocky Peck, former chairman of the Wood County Republican Party, has high hopes with Abernathy. Debts, which peaked at $150,000 several years ago, have been retired and the party raised $20,000 in January.
''We think Gary represents some good things for the party,'' Peck said.
Abernathy publishes the Internet's Republican Gazette where he writes about party issues, news and pokes fun at Gov. Joe Manchin in ''Fun with Mojo.''
Politics aside, Manchin is a likeable fellow, Abernathy said. The governor is being held back because of the ''D'' after his name, Abernathy said.
''Joe has a lot of Republican tendencies,'' he said.
Manchin and Abernathy bumped into each other while making appointments at the newspaper. The governor said he doesn't have a problem disagreeing with someone as long its constructive.
''When I quit being 'Joe' and become 'Gov. Manchin,' you got a problem with me,'' Manchin said.
