FAIRMONT, W.Va. On Monday, the West Virginia Republican Party announced that Marion County Clerk and Democrat Julie Kincaid has changed her party registration and is now affiliated with the Republican Party.
Kincaid was appointed Marion County Clerk in 2020 following the retirement of Jance Cosco, who has served in the position for 40 years. When she retired, Cosco was the second-longest-serving public official, following the career of Robert Byrd.
“The biggest point I want to make is that this does not affect in any way how I do my job, how I serve the county, or how I conduct elections,” Kincaid said. “It has nothing to do with any of that, this is based on personal choice.”
Prior to her appointment in 2020, Kincaid was a registered Republican who had to switch her party affiliation to accept the nomination. Kincaid ran for office in 2022 as a Democrat, and said the move back to the Republican Party was not a surprise for local Democrats.
“To be quite honest, I didn’t receive a lot of support from the Democratic Party when I was a candidate,” Kincaid said. “I think they thought this was the direction I was going to go, and they didn’t want to waste a lot of time.”
Kincaid said her focus has been on the job as clerk and serving the citizens of the county, but recent events have caused her to consider trends at the national and state levels.
“In the current climate of national politics and such and also the Presidential administration, my feelings kept getting stronger about wanting to switch to Republican,” Kincaid said.
Prior to her 2020 appointment, Kincaid had been working under Cosco since 2007 and, over the years, worked in different sections developing relationships the employees across the office. At the time of her appointment, outgoing Marion County Clerk Janice Cosco said Kincaid has a “special attitude” and is passionate about public service.
“This is a position I love, I love my employees, I love the county, and I love serving the public,” Kincaid said. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”
“I welcome Clerk Julie Kincaid to the Republican Party and join her in encouraging fellow West Virginians to finally join a Political Party that truly represents their interests and not far-left secular socialist policies,” West Virginia Republican Party Chairwoman Elgine McArdle said. “Over the next few weeks and months, I look forward to announcing more party switches at the State and local level, and I welcome all West Virginians who believe in these values and a conservative agenda to join the Republican Party.”