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Delegate Rupie Phillips, I-Logan

Delegate Rupie Phillips, one of West Virginias most conservative Democratic lawmakers, is switching his political affiliation to independent, arguing that the national Democratic Party hasnt done a good job of being pro-coal, pro-gun, pro-life and pro-jobs.

It is clear to me that the citizens of my district want a true Independent voice in Charleston, Phillips said in a news release. I have been and will continue to be that voice. The people have also been more important than party affiliation to me, and I hope this action sends a message to everyone that the people of Southern West Virginia want and deserve change.

Phillips decision to leave the Democratic Party, the news release says, was partly driven by the reaction to the Presidential Inauguration. The day after Republican Donald Trump was sworn in, hundreds of thousands of people protested as part of the womens marches that were organized in state capitals and major cities throughout the country.

He also cited the War on Coal, a now well-known phrase that has often been used in political campaign ads to attack former President Barack Obama for advancing rules to reduce water and air pollution from mines and coal-fired power plants.

The Logan County lawmaker has voted with Republicans in the Statehouse on many issues in past years and, during the 2016 presidential election, he was an outspoken supporter of Trump. Phillips was seen waiting in line to attend a Trump rally in Charleston in May. His campaign vehicle, with its political advertisements on the back, was parked outside the Charleston Civic Center, where the presidential candidate donned a hard hat and feigned shoveling coal.

Phillips, who was elected to office for the first time in 2010, voted for a bill that now allows people to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, which police agencies came out against. He has voted for a bill that banned certain abortion procedures in West Virginia, over the veto of Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.

And he cast a vote for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which opponents believe would have allowed open discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

During his time in the Statehouse, Phillips has often caught attention for his comments and theatrics.

When staff members from the U.S. Office of Surface Mining held a public hearing in Charleston to review a proposed stream protection rule, Phillips took the stage at the Charleston Civic Center to yell at the federal employees.

When the power grid fails and the heat goes off, I hope you freeze yall asses off, Phillips said.

During the 2016 legislative session, Phillips handed out small tubes of sunscreen to his fellow lawmakers to highlight that he doesnt believe in human-induced climate change, which has led to the past three years becoming the hottest on record, according to NASA.

At the time Phillips passed out his sunscreen, much of West Virginia had just been hit by a major snowstorm. Phillips was trying to suggest that one major snowfall was proof that the world wasnt warming something that has been debunked by scientific research that is supported by almost everyone in the scientific community.

I worry about you. Youve got global warming going on, he told his colleagues. Its not cold outside. Its in your mind.

Phillips decision to ditch the Democratic label immediately elicited responses from the Republican and Democratic parties in West Virginia. Democrats denounced the decision. Republicans suggested it represents a continuing shift toward Republican-dominated politics in West Virginia.

Delegate Phillips said he didnt want to play politics, yet this is nothing but political posturing for his own aspirations and media attention, said Belinda Biafore, the West Virginia Democratic Party chairwoman. He said so himself that his district is full of lifelong Democrats, a lot of them conservative Democrats that need a voice in Charleston, yet he chose to abandon them for media attention.

His comments on the partys stance on coal and guns was also untrue and it shows by the volume of conservative Democrats that we represent, Biafore added. We have said time and time again that West Virginia Democrats are a big tent because we represent real people.

Biafore isnt the first state Democratic Party leader to publicly emphasize that West Virginia Democrats arent the same as many of the partys national leaders.

Since Trumps election, Sen. Joe Manchin, West Virginias lone Democratic member of Congress, has emphasized that he is a moderate Democrat, as he has voiced support for Trumps Cabinet picks and proposed policies.

Jim Justices, West Virginias new Democratic governor, said during a campaign debate last year that he was interested in supporting good, down-home West Virginia Democrats. The new governor also argued with his Republican opponent, former Senate President Bill Cole, over who was better friends with Trump.

Our thoughts are with Delegate Phillips as he today makes the choice thousands of West Virginians have made in the last decade, said Conrad Lucas, the states Republican Party chairman. Liberal Democrats in Washington and Charleston have ruined the once dominant party in West Virginia. We welcome them all to join Trump Team, and Make West Virginia Great Again.

Reach Andrew Brown at andrew.brown@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4814 or follow @Andy_Ed_Brown on Twitter.

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Phillips switches from Democrat to independent in WV House - Charleston Gazette-Mail (subscription)