EDITORIAL: McKinley's Press Chief, Steve Cohen, Embodies WV's Shift to the Right
We've noted in this space before that West Virginians appear determined to have a viable two-party system, with or without the Democrats' permission. For example, we've seen Shelley Moore Capito win five straight terms as a GOP Congresswoman, easily defeating better-funded Democratic rivals.
Plus, we've seen Brent Benjamin become the first GOP State Supreme Court Justice in modern history elected to a full term of twelve years on the state's high court. And of course there's the three successive electoral college victories for the GOP in the Presidential elections of 2000, 2004, and 2008.
Something is certainly going on here.
But perhaps the very best indicator of growing Republican support in West Virginia is when some of the best Democratic political staff start to pop up in Republican candidates' headquarters around the state. They know better than most what the political trends are and when to back those Republicans they can feel good about working for--even if those GOP candidates are ones they might have had to fight against a few years before.
Exhibit A this year is Steve Cohen, arguably the sharpest press operative former Congressman Bob Wise ever had. Cohen was well-liked in the state's press corps for his helpfulness and intelligence as the go-to guy in the 2nd Congressional District. Few who knew Cohen then would argue the point that, whatever one thought of Wise, Cohen was alright. Who knows how many votes Cohen saved for his former boss?
But in recent years, Cohen has been willing to help causes on the conservative side of the aisle, too, either to expand his repertoire or because he sees where the future lies politically for West Virginia. When David McKinley picked up Cohen to help in his general election campaign, it was a clear message to moderate and conservative Democrats across West Virginia: we've got Cohen, and we want your support, too.
Cohen, as always, is good-natured about it all, never wants the limelight. A professional to the end, he always wants to put his candidate, this time David McKinley, out front, along with the conservative issues of the McKinley campaign.
Jack Ellis, a political consultant from Scott Depot, has known Cohen for several years. He says Cohen's contacts across West Virginia are vast. "The Cohen Rolodex, as I've heard it called, is supposed to be rather enormous," said Ellis. "If all McKinley does is sit Steve down in a chair with a phone and tells him to start making calls, that alone could be enough to make the difference in November. But of course, Steve will be doing much more than that."
A former Democratic press secretary for a liberal Congressman named Wise now helping Republican David McKinley reach out to disaffected Democrats across West Virginia's First District?
Nobody ever called David McKinley stupid.