A Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates has switched to the Republican Party. Raleigh County Delegate Mick Bates changed his voter registration Wednesday, increasing the GOP’s supermajority in the House to 78-22. Bates is a physical therapist and small business owner who is in his fourth term in the House. He was born in Australia and is the son and grandson of coal miners. House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said in a statement that Bates has always been a pro-business delegate and they’ll continue to do the work of making West Virginia the easy choice for people and businesses to call home.