By Sandra Basu
Congressional Quarterly

Electoral votes: 5

Delegates: 42

Chairman: Rep. Bob Wise (tentative)

Hotel: Holiday Inn Hollywood (323) 850-5811

1996 Election:
Clinton – 52%
Dole – 37%
Perot – 11%

The roster of West Virginia's delegation to the Democratic National Convention documents the party's sweeping domination of a state whose residents are mainly rural, working class and disproportionately poor.

There is 82-year-old Robert C. Byrd, the venerable historian and orator who appears a shoo-in this year to win an eighth term in the U.S. Senate, and his three-term colleague, John D. Rockefeller IV, who earlier served two terms as governor.

There too are U.S. House veterans Nick J. Rahall II, who is in his 12th term, and Alan B. Mollohan, in his ninth.

The man who rounds out the Democrats' control of the five-member congressional delegation, nine-term Rep. Bob Wise, was named chairman of the state's convention delegation.

Wise, however, said as of late July that he had decided not to attend the convention: He said he was too busy back home trying to fill the one big gap in the Democrats' success rolls as this year's challenger to Republican Gov. Cecil H. Underwood. But that caused some confusion for the state Democratic Party, which still contended as of late July that Wise would be the delegation chairman.

The state Legislature, in which Democrats control more than three-quarters of the seats, will also be well-represented at the Los Angeles convention, with such members as Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Bill Wooton and Finance Committee Chairman Oshel Craigo making the trip.

Supporters of this year's Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Al Gore, say the large pool of well-known elected Democrats in the state is one of his biggest assets. "He should employ the local boys," said lawyer Roslyn Clark-Payne, a Gore delegate.

Gore dominated West Virginia's primary, held May 9 - two months from the day that Gore's sole rival for the nomination, former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, dropped out of the race.

If Gore is to win the White House race this November over the Republican nominee, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, he will need to lock down West Virginia without expending many resources. President Clinton carried the state's five electoral votes by 13 percentage points - 48 percent to 35 percent - over Republican incumbent George Bush in 1992, and by 15 points - 52 percent to 37 percent - over Republican challenger Bob Dole in 1996.

It is not a state, though, that Gore can take completely for granted, despite its Democratic track record. The Southern rural sensibilities of many state Democrats mean that the state party ranks are not as liberal - and therefore not as solid for issues such as abortion rights and gun control - as Gore and much of the national party leadership.

The 1988 Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis, carried the state by just 52 percent to 48 percent over the elder Bush.

Gore also will have to reassure those elements of organized labor, a powerful influence in West Virginia, that are unhappy with the free-trade advocacy of Clinton and his vice president.

Labor is well-represented in the state's national convention delegation, with United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts and West Virginia AFL-CIO President Jim Bowen among its representatives.

Many of the delegates say that Gore's message on issues such as health care and Social Security will strike a chord among the large elderly population in the state.

The delegation includes 39 Gore delegates and three delegates who backed Bradley.

One of the Bradley delegates, Audrey Love, is the wife of state Sen. Shirley Love, who is a Gore delegate. The couple has been attending Democratic national conventions since 1972.

Shirley Love said he persuaded his wife to run as a delegate so that they both could attend the convention, even if he wasn't selected as a delegate. His wife, he said, "liked Bradley a little more than Gore." As it turned out, they were both elected as delegates.

WEST VIRGINIA NOTABLES: Sens. Robert C. Byrd and John D. Rockefeller IV; U.S. Rep. Alan B. Mollohan, Nick J. Rahall II and Bob Wise (though Wise, who is campaigning in this year's race for governor, may not attend the convention); West Virginia AFL-CIO President Jim Bowen, the state's Democratic National Committeeman; Democratic National Committeewoman Marie Prezioso; United Mine Workers of America President Cecil Roberts; former Gov. Hulett C. Smith; West Virginia Democratic Party Co-Chairmen Steve White and Patrick Maroney.