This limited, at best, support for progressive policies should not be a shock. After all, the Democratic electorate decisively rejected progressivism in the 2020 presidential primaries. Joe Biden What holds together Democratic voters is not progressive ideology; it’s hatred for Trump. According to the Republican-oriented polling firm Echelon Insights, Democratic voters rate danger from “Trump supporters” as a concern (82 percent) second only to the coronavirus (87 percent). ADVERTISEMENT Yet, progressives like Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez West Virginia troubles If Manchin were to switch parties, like Jeffords did in 2001, there is nothing the jilted former majority could do about it — just like in 2001. When it comes to electing a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, in West Virginia there’s Manchin and nobody else. West Virginia is now a decisively Republican state, having elected Sen. Shelley Capito Moore by a large majority and plumping for Trump by nearly 40 points.