On January 26, 2017, West Virginia Delegate Rupie Phillips changed his registration from Democratic to independent. See this story. Although such switches around the nation have not been rare during the past decade, it is highly unusual for West Virginia. The voters of the state have not elected anyone to the legislature who was not a Democrat or a Republican since 1906, when the Prohibition Party won a delegate.

Phillips represents the 24th Delegate district, and lives in Logan County, in the southwest part of the state. That district elects two Delegates. In the November 2016 election, there had been two Democratic candidates and one Republican. Phillips received 5,174 votes; the other Democrat. Ralph Rodighiero, received 7,227 votes. They were both elected. The only other candidate, Republican Aaron Stone, received 3,632.

If Phillips runs for re-election in 2018 as an independent, he will be helped by the fact that the West Virginia legislature repealed the straight-ticket device a few years ago. Thanks to Michael Straw for the link.