WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.899 Welcome in. I am so glad you could join us for 00:00:02.899 --> 00:00:04.780 today's deep dive. Yeah, thanks for having me 00:00:04.780 --> 00:00:07.839 back. Today we are looking at, well, it's a single 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:11.080 document, really. It's the complete list of United 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:14.119 States senators from West Virginia. Which I know. 00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:16.920 Yeah. I know, might sound a little dry to some 00:00:16.920 --> 00:00:19.100 people right off the bat. Exactly. A Wikipedia 00:00:19.100 --> 00:00:22.059 data table sounds like a cure for insomnia if 00:00:22.059 --> 00:00:24.579 you just glance at it. Right, just a grid of 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:26.460 names and dates. But if you know how to read 00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:29.320 between the lines, this specific list is actually 00:00:29.320 --> 00:00:32.780 this fascinating hidden roadmap of American history. 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:35.460 Oh, absolutely. It tracks the turbulent birth 00:00:35.460 --> 00:00:38.060 of a state during the Civil War. It highlights 00:00:38.060 --> 00:00:41.640 some, frankly, massive constitutional loopholes. 00:00:41.799 --> 00:00:44.399 And just a century and a half of sheer political... 00:00:44.429 --> 00:00:46.670 ping pong. It really is. We're going to dive 00:00:46.670 --> 00:00:48.950 right into the mechanics of power, all those 00:00:48.950 --> 00:00:52.030 wild overlapping timelines, and the human drama 00:00:52.030 --> 00:00:54.469 that is just hiding right there in plain sight. 00:00:54.609 --> 00:00:56.490 It's all in the data. Okay, let's unpack this. 00:00:56.689 --> 00:00:59.770 So it really is a remarkable roadmap once you 00:00:59.770 --> 00:01:01.770 understand the underlying architecture of the 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:05.219 Senate itself. To set the stage for you, when 00:01:05.219 --> 00:01:07.500 you look at this roster, you aren't just reading 00:01:07.500 --> 00:01:11.400 one long chronological column from 1863 to the 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:13.239 present day. Right. It's not just a straight 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:15.739 line. Exactly. The representation is divided 00:01:15.739 --> 00:01:18.620 into two distinct parallel tracks, which are 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:20.840 officially called classes. Because every state 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:22.760 gets two senators. Right. Every state gets two 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:25.120 senators, but they never, ever run for election 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:27.799 at the exact same time. Right. So West Virginia 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:29.780 seats are divided into class one and class two, 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:31.500 and they're operating on staggered electoral 00:01:31.500 --> 00:01:34.359 cycles. Which fundamentally changes how a state's 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:36.280 political voice evolves, right? Because it's 00:01:36.280 --> 00:01:38.439 not a complete reset every single election year. 00:01:38.620 --> 00:01:41.480 Exactly. Class one, for example, operates on 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:44.709 a cycle that saw contests in 2012. 2018, and 00:01:44.709 --> 00:01:47.629 2024. Okay. With its next elections slated for 00:01:47.629 --> 00:01:50.829 2030. Got it. Meanwhile, Class 2 beats to a completely 00:01:50.829 --> 00:01:53.469 different rhythm. Those elections fell in 2008, 00:01:53.930 --> 00:01:56.530 2014, and 2020. And the next one for Class 2 00:01:56.530 --> 00:01:59.269 is coming up later this year in 2026. You got 00:01:59.269 --> 00:02:03.329 it. Because of this staggered system, West Virginia's 00:02:03.329 --> 00:02:06.069 representation in Washington is never entirely 00:02:06.069 --> 00:02:08.409 replaced in one fell swoop. There's always an 00:02:08.409 --> 00:02:11.949 overlap. Always. There is always a senior and 00:02:11.949 --> 00:02:14.729 a junior dynamic, or at least a bridge from one 00:02:14.729 --> 00:02:17.180 era to the next. And tracing back to the very 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:19.840 first era, I mean, the absolute top of this timeline 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:22.020 is just incredible because it starts with a void. 00:02:22.139 --> 00:02:24.879 A literal blank space. Yeah. The very first entry 00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:27.680 on this entire list isn't a person at all. It 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:30.139 is just the word vacant. Right. West Virginia 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:32.460 officially becomes a state, but the timeline 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:36.759 shows a vacancy from June 19, 1863 until August 00:02:36.759 --> 00:02:40.599 4, 1863. What's fascinating here is what that 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:44.280 gap represents. For a month and a half, a brand 00:02:44.280 --> 00:02:46.419 new state. during the absolute height of the 00:02:46.419 --> 00:02:49.219 American Civil War, had empty chairs in the Capitol. 00:02:49.379 --> 00:02:51.939 Just sitting there. Just sitting there. And when 00:02:51.939 --> 00:02:54.439 those chairs were finally filled on August 4th 00:02:54.439 --> 00:02:57.139 by Peter G. Van Winkle in Class 1 and Waitman 00:02:57.139 --> 00:02:59.680 T. Willey in Class 2. Yeah, their party affiliation 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:01.919 tells such an incredible story. It really does. 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:04.460 They aren't listed as Democrats. No. They aren't 00:03:04.460 --> 00:03:06.900 listed as Republicans either. The affiliation 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:10.139 listed for both men in the source is simply union. 00:03:10.699 --> 00:03:13.680 That single word just carries so much weight. 00:03:13.860 --> 00:03:16.460 Doesn't it? It essentially proves that the state's 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:18.680 very first political identity wasn't defined 00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:21.180 by a traditional party platform. Right. They 00:03:21.180 --> 00:03:23.960 weren't arguing about taxes or tariffs. Or infrastructure. 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:27.599 It was defined by fundamental existential survival. 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:30.759 They were sent to Washington with one mandate, 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:33.719 which was just to preserve the country. Precisely. 00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:37.580 It is a stark reminder. of the absolute crisis 00:03:37.580 --> 00:03:40.159 the nation was in at that moment. The state of 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:42.599 West Virginia was born out of conflict, and those 00:03:42.599 --> 00:03:45.580 first two senators were defined strictly by their 00:03:45.580 --> 00:03:47.599 loyalty to the federal government in the middle 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:50.360 of a literal war. It's such a heavy way to start 00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:53.300 a state's history, but as we trace this timeline 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:56.360 forward into the 20th century, the drama kind 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:58.300 of shifts. Oh, it definitely shifts. It goes 00:03:58.300 --> 00:04:00.719 from these existential wartime crises to some 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:03.379 truly bizarre logistical gymnastics. That is 00:04:03.379 --> 00:04:05.000 a great way to put it. Here's where it gets really 00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:08.180 interesting. Let's look at the 1930s, specifically 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:11.439 a man named Rush Holtz Sr. He wins the election 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:14.759 for the class one seat in November 1934. He runs 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:17.439 as a Democrat. Right. And the new Congress begins 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:21.360 on January 3rd, 1935. But his official dates 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:23.939 in office do not start then. Nope, they do not. 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:26.560 There is a vacant period sitting right there 00:04:26.560 --> 00:04:29.860 in the timeline from January 3rd to June 21st, 00:04:29.860 --> 00:04:34.120 1935. And the reason why was just wild. Why? 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:37.459 Because Holt wasn't old enough to serve. It is 00:04:37.459 --> 00:04:39.459 one of the rarest, most perfectly documented 00:04:39.459 --> 00:04:42.480 instances of a strict U .S. constitutional requirement 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:45.199 just totally colliding with the reality of a 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:47.500 modern election. Right. Because the Constitution 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:50.379 explicitly mandates that a senator must be at 00:04:50.379 --> 00:04:52.740 least 30 years old. Yes. And Holt was elected 00:04:52.740 --> 00:04:55.959 when he was 29. So close. His 30th birthday wasn't 00:04:55.959 --> 00:05:00.149 until June 19, 1935. So despite winning the election, 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:02.430 he was not legally qualified to take the oath 00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:04.930 of office when the term began in January. Wait, 00:05:04.970 --> 00:05:06.610 I have to stop you there because the mechanics 00:05:06.610 --> 00:05:09.410 of this are just wild to me. The party and the 00:05:09.410 --> 00:05:12.050 voters willingly elected a guy they knew could 00:05:12.050 --> 00:05:14.050 not legally go to work on day one? They did. 00:05:14.350 --> 00:05:16.769 What happens to the state's voting power during 00:05:16.769 --> 00:05:19.490 those six months? It drops by half. The seat 00:05:19.490 --> 00:05:22.439 simply had to sit empty. For nearly six months, 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:25.180 West Virginia operated with only one senator. 00:05:25.319 --> 00:05:27.680 Just one. Yeah, the abstract law of the Constitution 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:32.399 created a very real, very awkward logistical 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:35.300 gap on the Senate floor. The state's power in 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:37.480 Washington was intentionally kneecapped by its 00:05:37.480 --> 00:05:40.300 own voters. Who essentially decided that waiting 00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:42.379 for Rush Holt to blow out the candles on his 00:05:42.379 --> 00:05:45.240 30th birthday cake was worth sacrificing half 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:47.480 their voice in the Senate for half a year. It 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:49.579 really is the ultimate political flex, if you 00:05:49.579 --> 00:05:51.579 think about it. It really is. Just imagining 00:05:51.579 --> 00:05:54.180 a duly elected senator twiddling his thumbs for 00:05:54.180 --> 00:05:56.240 six months, physically barred from doing his 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:58.019 job because of his birth certificate. Right. 00:05:58.139 --> 00:06:00.540 Now, Holt's delay was forced upon him by the 00:06:00.540 --> 00:06:03.259 Constitution. But looking further down the list, 00:06:03.319 --> 00:06:05.920 we see delays that were entirely by choice. Yes. 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.100 And strangely enough, it's a pattern that repeats 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:10.800 exactly 40 years apart. You're talking about 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:12.759 the late -seated governors. Exactly, the late 00:06:12.759 --> 00:06:15.120 -seated governors. So in Class 2, you have Jay 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:18.420 Rockefeller. Right. He's elected in 1984, but 00:06:18.420 --> 00:06:21.560 his start date is delayed to January 15, 1985. 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:25.100 Fast forward exactly four decades to Class 1. 00:06:25.550 --> 00:06:29.290 Jim Justice is elected in 2024, but his start 00:06:29.290 --> 00:06:33.610 date is delayed to January 14, 2025. It's almost 00:06:33.610 --> 00:06:36.709 the exact same delay. In both cases, the federal 00:06:36.709 --> 00:06:39.689 Senate terms technically began on January 3, 00:06:39.850 --> 00:06:43.149 but they chose not to be there. Right. Both men 00:06:43.149 --> 00:06:45.230 were seated late so they could complete their 00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:48.029 ongoing terms as governor of West Virginia. Right. 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:51.040 If we connect this to the bigger picture, it 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:53.819 really highlights how intertwined state level 00:06:53.819 --> 00:06:55.899 executive power and federal legislative power 00:06:55.899 --> 00:06:58.379 truly are. Because being elected to the United 00:06:58.379 --> 00:07:00.319 States Senate doesn't instantly dissolve your 00:07:00.319 --> 00:07:02.699 existing obligations at home. Exactly. But think 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:04.779 about the audacity of that decision, too. You 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:07.079 have a seat in the highest legislative body in 00:07:07.079 --> 00:07:09.519 the country and you essentially tell Washington, 00:07:09.680 --> 00:07:12.139 hold my spot. I have a few weeks of state business 00:07:12.139 --> 00:07:14.680 to wrap up. It bridges the gap between state 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:17.600 and federal leadership in a very tangible way. 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:20.000 It does. It creates this unique transition period 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.980 where the federal legislative seat is forced 00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:25.420 to wait on the state government's executive calendar. 00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:28.819 It's a conscious choice to prioritize the orderly 00:07:28.819 --> 00:07:31.660 transfer of power in Charleston over immediate 00:07:31.660 --> 00:07:34.620 presence in Washington. It's a fascinating display 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:37.560 of local loyalty. Truly. But speaking of absolute 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:40.480 presence in Washington, we cannot look at this 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:43.079 timeline without addressing the fixed point in 00:07:43.079 --> 00:07:45.180 the center of it all. Oh, I know exactly who 00:07:45.180 --> 00:07:47.600 you mean. You scroll through decades of four 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:50.560 year terms, six year terms, maybe 12 if someone 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:53.399 is lucky. Right. And then you hit Senator Robert 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:57.300 Byrd. Yes. The sheer block of time he occupies 00:07:57.300 --> 00:08:00.439 is staggering. Unbroken service from January 00:08:00.439 --> 00:08:04.040 3, 1959, all the way until his death on June 00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:07.459 28, 2010. He is not just West Virginia's longest 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:09.839 serving senator. No. He is the longest serving 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:12.139 senator in United States history. Which is wild. 00:08:12.459 --> 00:08:14.540 And when you look at the raw data, the sheer 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:16.579 scale of his tenure is difficult to wrap your 00:08:16.579 --> 00:08:20.100 head around. He spanned 25 distinct congresses. 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:22.920 25 congresses. He started in the 86th Congress. 00:08:23.579 --> 00:08:26.420 and served all the way into the 111th. 51 years. 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:28.819 Just pause and think for a second about the volume 00:08:28.819 --> 00:08:31.120 of human history that passes in 51 years. It's 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:33.399 always immense. The cultural revolutions, the 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:36.940 technological leaps, the global conflicts, while 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:39.299 other seats across the country, and even the 00:08:39.299 --> 00:08:41.080 other seat in West Virginia. All right, the class 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:43.440 two seat. Yeah. While that was turning over, 00:08:43.580 --> 00:08:45.940 bouncing between parties, experiencing massive 00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:49.960 volatility, Robert Byrd's seat in class one remained 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:53.200 an absolute fixed point for over half a century. 00:08:53.440 --> 00:08:56.159 It's an unprecedented level of stability. And 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:58.340 I think it becomes even more striking when you 00:08:58.340 --> 00:09:01.320 contrast it with the absolute chaos and volatility 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:04.000 of some of the earlier politicians on this roster. 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:06.909 Oh, for sure. Bird was the immovable object, 00:09:07.090 --> 00:09:09.830 but the early 20th century was full of what you 00:09:09.830 --> 00:09:12.409 might call boomerang politicians. Yes, the guys 00:09:12.409 --> 00:09:14.850 who just refused to take no for an answer. Exactly. 00:09:15.009 --> 00:09:17.210 Look at Matthew M. Neely. This guy's timeline 00:09:17.210 --> 00:09:19.789 is all over the map. It really is. He wins the 00:09:19.789 --> 00:09:22.690 class one seat as a Democrat, serving from 1923 00:09:22.690 --> 00:09:25.990 to 1929. Then he loses re -election. For most 00:09:25.990 --> 00:09:27.840 politicians, that's the end of the story. But 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:30.139 he doesn't leave the stage. No. The timeline 00:09:30.139 --> 00:09:32.460 shows he simply pivots, jumps over to the class 00:09:32.460 --> 00:09:35.179 two seat and wins that election, serving from 00:09:35.179 --> 00:09:38.740 1931 to 1941. Then he leaves again. Yeah. Only 00:09:38.740 --> 00:09:40.639 to come back a third time, winning the class 00:09:40.639 --> 00:09:43.960 two seat once more in 1949 and serving until 00:09:43.960 --> 00:09:47.600 his death in 1958. Mealy's career is a master 00:09:47.600 --> 00:09:50.480 class in political resilience. It highlights 00:09:50.480 --> 00:09:53.580 the cyclical nature of power. You can be defeated. 00:09:54.029 --> 00:09:57.210 Step away, change classes, and still find a path 00:09:57.210 --> 00:09:59.649 back to the exact same chamber. It's pretty inspiring 00:09:59.649 --> 00:10:02.490 in a weird way. It is. But if you want to see 00:10:02.490 --> 00:10:04.429 an even more dramatic example of this dynamic, 00:10:04.669 --> 00:10:06.789 you have to look at the Elkins family. Oh, this 00:10:06.789 --> 00:10:10.210 one reads like a scripted drama. It does. Stephen 00:10:10.210 --> 00:10:13.049 B. Elkins, a Republican in Class II, serves from 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:16.950 1895 until he dies in office on January 4, 1911. 00:10:17.210 --> 00:10:20.889 Right. Just five days later, his son, Davis Elkins, 00:10:21.110 --> 00:10:23.450 is officially appointed to continue his father's 00:10:23.450 --> 00:10:25.250 term. Let's pause on that for a second. Yeah. 00:10:25.330 --> 00:10:28.230 Because that rapid five -day turnaround is incredibly 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:30.149 revealing about the nature of political power 00:10:30.149 --> 00:10:32.529 at the turn of the 20th century. Seriously. You 00:10:32.529 --> 00:10:34.429 have a U .S. Senate seat functioning almost like 00:10:34.429 --> 00:10:37.230 an inherited family estate. The father passes 00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:39.909 away, and the son is immediately tapped to hold 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:42.090 the title. It's less about democratic process 00:10:42.090 --> 00:10:44.789 and much more about political bloodlines holding 00:10:44.789 --> 00:10:46.870 on to leverage. But the voters get their say 00:10:46.870 --> 00:10:48.929 almost immediately and the nepotism backfires. 00:10:49.070 --> 00:10:51.330 Licking time. Davis Elkins loses the subsequent 00:10:51.330 --> 00:10:53.690 election to finish out his father's term. His 00:10:53.690 --> 00:10:56.629 appointed spent only lasts until January 31st, 00:10:56.629 --> 00:10:59.210 1911. He's out in less than a month. Out in less 00:10:59.210 --> 00:11:01.809 than a month. But just like Neely, Davis Elkins 00:11:01.809 --> 00:11:04.720 plays the long game. He sure does. Seven years 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:06.879 after losing his father's seat in class two, 00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:09.899 he bounces back, runs in the entirely different 00:11:09.899 --> 00:11:13.200 class one, and wins a full term in 1918, serving 00:11:13.200 --> 00:11:17.659 until 1925. This entire family arc, I mean, from 00:11:17.659 --> 00:11:20.580 a tragic death in office to an immediate dynastic 00:11:20.580 --> 00:11:23.539 appointment, a swift electoral defeat, and then 00:11:23.539 --> 00:11:26.059 a triumphant return years later. It's a movie. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:28.840 It really proves just how volatile the fight 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:31.039 for these seats can be. It really pulls the curtain 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:32.980 back. These aren't just dates on a page. These 00:11:32.980 --> 00:11:35.919 are massive, bruising ego battles playing out 00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:38.299 over decades. Absolutely. And that volatility 00:11:38.299 --> 00:11:40.940 brings us to the sweeping political shifts we 00:11:40.940 --> 00:11:43.720 see over the entire lifespan of this roster. 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:47.759 Because today is March 4, 2026. And when we trace 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:50.179 the state's political identity from top to bottom, 00:11:50.299 --> 00:11:53.360 the pendulum swings are massive. Oh, huge. We 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:55.320 started with those Civil War unionists. Right. 00:11:55.789 --> 00:11:58.529 Then you see an era of early Republicans, then 00:11:58.529 --> 00:12:02.529 an incredibly long, dominant Democratic stronghold 00:12:02.529 --> 00:12:06.009 spanning the eras of Neely, Byrd, Rockefeller 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:09.129 and the early years of Joe Manchin. Yeah. And 00:12:09.129 --> 00:12:11.929 now at the very bottom of the timeline, the delegation 00:12:11.929 --> 00:12:14.909 has shifted back to a Republican makeup. And 00:12:14.909 --> 00:12:17.289 as we analyze this modern era we do need to be 00:12:17.289 --> 00:12:20.250 very clear that we are looking strictly at the 00:12:20.250 --> 00:12:23.049 timeline and party registrations provided in 00:12:23.049 --> 00:12:25.029 the historical record. Yes absolutely. We are 00:12:25.029 --> 00:12:28.360 tracking the data. Not endorsing or critiquing 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:30.659 any specific political platform. Just reading 00:12:30.659 --> 00:12:33.340 the roster. Exactly. For example, looking at 00:12:33.340 --> 00:12:35.600 the class one seat, Joe Manchin's trajectory 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:39.019 is meticulously documented. He was elected as 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:42.080 Democrat in 2010 in a special election to finish 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.700 out the remainder of Robert Byrd's term. He was 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:46.600 then reelected multiple times under the Democratic 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:48.899 banner. Right. And the timeline specifically 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:52.200 notes a shift late in his career. He left the 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:56.620 Democratic Party on May 31st, 2024, registering 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:59.259 as an independent. Yes. And subsequently retired 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:02.779 at the end of his term in early 2025. Following 00:13:02.779 --> 00:13:05.539 his retirement, the data shows that Class 1 seat 00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:08.179 was won by Jim Justice. Who was elected as a 00:13:08.179 --> 00:13:10.960 Republican in 2024. Right, and took office in 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:14.559 2025. Meanwhile, looking over at Class 2, that 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:16.940 seat has been held since 2015 by Shelley Moore 00:13:16.940 --> 00:13:19.440 Capito. Who was elected as a Republican in 2014. 00:13:19.700 --> 00:13:21.899 Exactly. Which means for the first time in a 00:13:21.899 --> 00:13:25.139 very long time, both of the state's staggered 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:27.419 electoral tracks are held by the same party. 00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:30.190 Right. But because of that brilliant staggered 00:13:30.190 --> 00:13:31.710 system we talked about at the very beginning, 00:13:31.950 --> 00:13:34.350 their timelines for facing the voters are completely 00:13:34.350 --> 00:13:37.549 out of sync. Exactly. The mechanism of this roster 00:13:37.549 --> 00:13:40.450 never stops turning. Never. Jim Justice, sitting 00:13:40.450 --> 00:13:43.070 in class one, just began his turn. He doesn't 00:13:43.070 --> 00:13:45.590 face his next electoral cycle until 2030. Right. 00:13:45.649 --> 00:13:47.690 But Shelley Moore Capito, sitting in class two, 00:13:47.809 --> 00:13:49.929 belongs to the cycle that is actively happening 00:13:49.929 --> 00:13:52.870 right now. Yeah. Her seat is listed right there 00:13:52.870 --> 00:13:55.809 on the timeline as to be determined in the 2026 00:13:55.809 --> 00:13:58.299 election. The historical record is literally 00:13:58.299 --> 00:14:00.500 being written this year. So what does this all 00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:02.779 mean? That's the big question. We started out 00:14:02.779 --> 00:14:05.080 looking at what, on the surface, is just a Wikipedia 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:08.340 grid of names, parties, and dates. Very dry grid. 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:11.720 Very dry. But by pulling on these threads, we've 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:15.220 uncovered a living, breathing story. We've seen 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:18.519 how constitutional mechanics can bench a 29 -year 00:14:18.519 --> 00:14:21.539 -old senator for six months. While state loyalties 00:14:21.539 --> 00:14:23.799 can cause governors to intentionally bench themselves 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:27.259 for weeks. Exactly. We've seen political seats 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:29.500 treated like family heirlooms with the Elkins 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:32.059 family. The sheer stubbornness of boomerang politicians 00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:35.259 like Matthew Neely and the awe -inspiring 51 00:14:35.259 --> 00:14:38.320 -year fixed point of Robert Byrd. It really covers 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:40.500 the whole spectrum. It just goes to show that 00:14:40.500 --> 00:14:43.860 beneath every seemingly dry data set, there is 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:46.519 an absolute master class in human ambition and 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:48.600 political evolution just waiting to be read. 00:14:48.759 --> 00:14:51.220 It is a remarkable testament to how history is 00:14:51.220 --> 00:14:54.220 actually made. And tracking this continuous thread 00:14:54.220 --> 00:14:58.639 of power from 1863 all the way to 2026 reveals 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:03.179 one final undeniable pattern. When you look at 00:15:03.179 --> 00:15:06.309 the timeline, you see Alan T. Caperton. dying 00:15:06.309 --> 00:15:09.950 in office in 1876. Okay. John E. Kennan in 1893, 00:15:10.269 --> 00:15:12.830 Stephen B. Elkins in 1911. I liked the father. 00:15:13.070 --> 00:15:16.669 Harley M. Kilgore in 1956, Matthew M. Neely in 00:15:16.669 --> 00:15:20.590 1958, Robert Byrd in 2010. Wow. All of these 00:15:20.590 --> 00:15:23.350 men passed away while holding their seats, instantly 00:15:23.350 --> 00:15:25.549 triggering sudden vacancies, emergency appointments, 00:15:25.710 --> 00:15:27.509 and special elections. That's a lot of sudden 00:15:27.509 --> 00:15:29.529 turnover. This raises an important question. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:32.659 How much of a state's political voice in Washington 00:15:32.659 --> 00:15:35.980 is actually shaped by the predictable Democratic 00:15:35.980 --> 00:15:38.899 six year clock of scheduled elections? Oh, I 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:40.360 see where you're going. And how much of it is 00:15:40.360 --> 00:15:42.299 shaped by the totally unpredictable destruction 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:45.340 of human mortality, leaving unelected appointees 00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:48.250 to suddenly step into the breach? Wow. That is 00:15:48.250 --> 00:15:50.250 a brilliant and heavy thought to leave on. We 00:15:50.250 --> 00:15:52.590 spend so much time analyzing the campaigns and 00:15:52.590 --> 00:15:55.409 the voters, but sometimes the timeline is simply 00:15:55.409 --> 00:15:57.830 dictated by the fragility of human life. It really 00:15:57.830 --> 00:15:59.789 is. Well, thank you so much for joining us on 00:15:59.789 --> 00:16:02.629 this deep dive. Thanks for having me. We hope 00:16:02.629 --> 00:16:05.870 you found the hidden human drama inside this 00:16:05.870 --> 00:16:08.850 historical roster as captivating as we did, and 00:16:08.850 --> 00:16:10.590 that you never look at a simple table of dates 00:16:10.590 --> 00:16:12.990 exactly the same way again. Catch you next time.