State senator invites some Maryland and Virginia counties to join West Virginia

West Virginia state Sen. Chris Rose (R) introduced a resolution Thursday inviting 30 counties in Virginia and Maryland to join his state. 

In a release Rose posted on Facebook, he called on 27 counties in Virginia and three in Maryland to join West Virginia to “strengthen regional ties and promote shared Appalachian values.”

The release also said that residents of the counties may be concerned regarding “policies in their current states that may not align with local priorities,” such as Second Amendment rights, economic development and rural representation. 

On Tuesday, Democrat Abigail Spanberger won Virginia’s gubernatorial race, succeeding Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Meanwhile, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) launched a redistricting advisory commission earlier that day, saying the goal is to ensure his state “has fair and representative maps.”

“These areas share geographic, economic, cultural, and historical connections with West Virginia, including a strong Appalachian heritage, rural lifestyles, and a focus on individual liberties,” Rose said.

This is not the first time such a move has been broached. In 2021, state legislators in Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties, the three Maryland counties Rose highlighted, asked West Virginia’s legislative leaders to join the state. 

Such a move by the Virginia and Maryland counties would require approval from both state legislatures and Congress, which Rose’s resolution acknowledges. The state senator’s release adds that copies of the resolution will be sent to Youngkin, Moore and the legislative leaders of both states, as well as the 30 county commissions and West Virginia’s congressional delegation. 

Congress has only approved changes to state boundaries three previous times: in 1792, when Kentucky was carved out of Virginia; in 1820, when it cut Maine out of Massachusetts; and in 1862, when it admitted counties that were previously in Virginia as part of West Virginia.