From Spike Maynard for Congress…

This message is to remind you that Spike and Nick Rahall are going to be participating in a live debate on WVVA tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 7th at 7 p.m.

Please make sure to watch, as Spike discusses several important issues in this campaign like Rahall’s support of Obama and Pelosi, and Rahall’s vote to allow taxpayer funds to be used for abortions.

Again, the debate will be live at 7 p.m. Tueday, Sept. 7th on the local NBC station, WVVA.

For those not in the local media market, WVVA will be streaming the debate live on their website, www.wvva.com.

Republican State Senator John Shott spoke with West Virginia MetroNews last week about being ousted as the Republican in the 10th Senatorial District.

State Senator John Shott:

“I just assumed each county would tell their delegates to remain open minded and independent,” Shott said. “The delegates in many cases that were selected were solicited before the county conventions and asked in advance to support Mr. Stevens. I didn’t understand the process to work that way.”

“The most disappointing thing is that I’ll be prevented from satisfying the commitment I made to Laura Caruth and the Caruth family to fight for this seat that Don Caruth fought so hard to get.”

Read the full MetroNews interview by clicking here and also a story highlighting the process in yesterday’s Bluefield Daily Telegraph by clicking here.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has officially announced that Republican Spike Maynard (@SpikeMaynard) (WV-03) has reached ‘Contender’ status as part of its Young Guns program. ‘Contender’ status is the second step in the three-level program.
Read the rest of this entry »

In reaction to President Barack Obama’s support of the proposed Mosque adjacent to Ground Zero, Republican candidate for Congress Elliott “Spike” Maynard issued the following statement:

“Mecca is hallowed ground to Muslims. Ground Zero is hallowed ground to Americans. Do you think the Muslims would allow a Jewish temple or Christian church to be built in Mecca? No one would ever propose such a thing. Building a Mosque at Ground Zero is just as offensive to Americans as building a Christian church would be to Muslims in Mecca. The proposal to erect a Mosque at the site of the World Trade Center disaster is a direct slap in the face of the families that lost loved ones when we were attacked by Islamic terrorists. Americans, and especially West Virginians in the 3rd district, see this as a declaration of victory by Islamic extremists, and the President of the United States has endorsed this view. This further illustrates how out of touch the Obama/Rahall/Pelosi team are with regular Americans. Rahall’s failure to publicly condemn President Obama’s statement, and this proposal, is an outrage. The memory of people throughout the Islamic world celebrating in the streets when the towers fell is still too hurtful for most Americans.“ – Elliot “Spike” Maynard

Spike Maynard is the Republican running in the 3rd Congressional District of West Virginia. Maynard is a former West Virginia State Supreme Court Justice and trial judge from Mingo County.

From Politico…

Questions Raised about Nick Rahall Helping Son
By JOHN BRESNAHAN

In February 2005, as his troubled son was facing felony robbery charges in Virginia, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) wrote a letter to a Fairfax County judge on congressional stationery, imploring him to show mercy on the then 27-year-old Nick Joe Rahall III.

Nick Joe Rahall, the congressman’s only son, was given a four-year suspended sentence, avoiding prison time in this instance despite being incarcerated twice in the previous four years.

Rahall acknowledged to POLITICO that he should not have used congressional stationery for the Feb. 14, 2005, letter, but said it was not the same type that he uses for official or committee business. House ethics rules bar the use of congressional stationery for anything but government-related activities.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Lexington Herald-Leader highlights that many folks associated with the coal industry are planning to spend big this election cycle to target anti-coal members of Congress. Those being targeted include Congressman Nick Rahall from West Virginia’s Third Congressional District.

“With the recent Supreme Court ruling, we are in a position to be able to take corporate positions that were not previously available in allowing our voices to be heard,” wrote Roger Nicholson, senior vice president and general counsel at International Coal Group of Scott Depot, W.Va., in an undated letter he sent to other coal companies.

“A number of coal industry representatives recently have been considering developing a 527 entity with the purpose of attempting to defeat anti-coal incumbents in select races, as well as elect pro-coal candidates running for certain open seats,” Nicholson wrote. “We’re requesting your consideration as to whether your company would be willing to meet to discuss a significant commitment to such an effort.”

Read the complete story on the Lexington Herald-Leader website by clicking here.

Which would you prefer, a candidate supported by a terrorist group or by Sarah Palin?
Read the rest of this entry »

As pointed out by the Weekly Standard this past weekend, Governor Joe Manchin has endorsed President Barack Obama’s health care reform legislation. You can watch the video of Governor Joe Manchin endorsing Obamacare by clicking here.
Read the rest of this entry »

Let the voters of southern West Virginia decide if they want a Congressman that is supported by terrorists…

The biggest topic of dicussion in most political circles around the State of West Virginia yesterday was polling results released by Spike Maynard for Congress, which showed incumbent Congressman Nick Rahall barely edgeing out former Supreme Court of Appeals Judge Elliot “Spike” Maynard.
Read the rest of this entry »

From Spike Maynard for Congress…

Today, the U.S. Senate will vote on an amendment, introduced by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), that would take away the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide.
Read the rest of this entry »

The West Virginia Conservative Foundation has sent out a special action alert encouraging people to attend the Environmental Protection Agency hearing in Charleston today…
Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

Incumbent Democratic Congressman Alan Mollohan goes down to primary challenger Mike Oliverio in what is undoubtedly the biggest surprise from last night. The theme seemed to be anti-incumbent as several entrenched state senators in both political parties lost their nomination contest.

Democrat Mike Oliverio will face Republican David McKinley in the First Congressional. In the Third Congressional District, Elliott “Spike” Maynard won the Republican nomination and will face incumbent Congressman Nick Rahall this fall.

This is a short update from election night. Look for a more in-depth commentary later today or tomorrow as we look at all the results from last evening.

What is on your mind today? Last Friday Front Porch before the Primary Election, so campaign staffers can spend all day arguing on West Virginia Red!

Use this thread to talk about anything, complain about something, send kudos to someone, or simply share gossip. Have a good weekend!