By Taylor Richmond, Chair of the Libertarian Party of West Virginia
For more than a decade, West Virginians have handed Republicans a supermajority so large it can pass any bill it wants without a single vote from the minority party. Voters did this because they believed Republican candidates who promised smaller government, lower taxes, freer markets, and more individual liberty. They believed the rhetoric about “getting government off your back.” They believed the pledges to rein in spending and defend personal freedom.
What they got instead is a Legislature that governs like Democrats, just wearing red ties.
This session has made one thing painfully clear: the Republican supermajority has abandoned the principles it campaigned on. Instead of shrinking government, it expands it. Instead of cutting taxes, it rearranges them. Instead of protecting personal liberty, it chips away at it. And instead of trusting West Virginians to run their own lives, it keeps inventing new ways to micromanage them.
In other words: you thought you elected Republicans, but you got Democrats in disguise.
Bigger Government, Higher Spending, and Endless Mandates
The House passed HB 4574 and HB 4575, creating a new emergency funding structure
for county school systems and appropriating $8 million in supplemental spending.
Instead of proposing meaningful reform to correct the problem, their solution is to throw
millions more of your taxpayer dollars at the problem.
HB 4631 and SB 213 aim to classify Internet Service Providers as utilities and bring them under the government control of the Public Service Commission. Instead of trusting the free market they claim to be guided by, they want to feed the leviathan more power.
This is not conservative governance. It’s the same big government philosophy Republicans accuse Democrats of championing.
Tax Policy That Looks More Like a Shell Game
West Virginians were promised meaningful tax relief. What they got instead were half-measures, temporary gimmicks, and proposals that shift burdens around without reducing the size or cost of government. When a supermajority claims to be cutting taxes while simultaneously increasing spending, it’s not cutting taxes—it’s borrowing against the future.
That’s not conservative. It’s classic democratic tax and spend politics dressed up in red.
Regulation and Control Masquerading as “Freedom”
From occupational licensing to education mandates to new criminal penalties, the supermajority continues to expand the state’s authority over people’s choices. Republicans used to argue that government shouldn’t pick winners and losers. Now they do it routinely, deciding which industries get special treatment, which professions require permission slips, and which personal decisions are subject to state approval.
The House fast tracked HB 4008, which increases the amount that government can spend to choose winners and losers in the marketplace, without any measures to get government out of the way of the free market.
SB 112 aims to give power back to the state athletic board to restrict where your child attends school if they happen to play sports too well.
This is not the limited government philosophy voters were promised. It’s the same regulatory mindset Republicans claim to oppose.
The Libertarian Alternative: Principles, Not Branding
The Libertarian Party of West Virginia has been consistent:
- Cut spending before cutting taxes.
- Eliminate unnecessary regulations and licensing barriers.
- Protect personal and economic freedom without exception.
- Return power to individuals, families, and communities—not bureaucrats.
These are not slogans. They are principles. And unlike the Republican supermajority, we don’t abandon them once the election is over.
West Virginians Deserve Better Than Political Costume Parties
The problem isn’t that Republicans and Democrats disagree too much. The problem is that, once in power, they govern the same way: more spending, more control, more intrusion, more centralization. The only difference is the color of the campaign signs.
West Virginians deserve a government that actually reflects the values they vote for—not a bait and switch. If voters wanted Democratic style governance, they would have elected Democrats. Instead, they elected Republicans who now govern like the very party they replaced.
The Libertarian Party of West Virginia is here to offer something different: a government that trusts people more than politicians, freedom more than force, and principles more than party labels.
If you’re tired of being promised one thing and delivered another, you’re not alone. And you’re not without options. Join the Libertarian Party, the only political party principled in our philosophies and positions.