WV lawmaker leaves Dems for GOP, dealing another blow to former party after other high-profile switches
Fox News
Elliott Pritt, a West Virginia state lawmaker, on Monday became the latest Democrat in recent months to leave his party and join the Republicans.
"I want to welcome Delegate Elliott Pritt to the Republican Party," West Virginia Republican Party chairwoman Elgine McArdle said in a statement. "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." Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.
The move gives the GOP 89 members in the House, while the Democrats' ranks dwindled to 11. Pritt's decision was already accounted for by late morning on the West Virginia Legislature's official House roster.
Pritt had been the last Democrat in the House in the state's southern coalfields.