Take a moment and register some predictions for 2010. Will Congressmen Alan Mollohan and Nick Rahall get re-elected? Will Senator Robert Byrd resign soon? Will Doug McKinney be re-elected Chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party? Will the West Virginia University Mountaineers win? Will Ken Ward be unemployed this year? What are your predictions?
The Intelligencer of Wheeling is reporting that State Senator Clark Barnes has decided against a campaign for the Republican nomination to challenge Congressman Alan Mollohan in West Virginia’s First Congressional District. Barnes was one of six people running or considering a campaign against Mollohan.
The Intelligencer reports…
Barnes on Monday said he was pleased with the response his potential campaign received in the Northern Panhandle.
“It brought attention to the race, and attracted some other good candidates,” he said.
“When I first explored the option of running, it was certainly because I felt that Mollohan is the one that needs to go,” Barnes added. “And when I looked at the field of candidates, I saw no one with legislative or campaign experience in the group. That has changed now.
Read the rest of this entry »
The New York Times ran a story last week in the days before the Senate health care vote about the “fragile” health condition of West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd.
The New York Times story confirms a post West Virginia Red reported over the summer that Governor Joe Manchin spoke with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to formulate a plan in the event Senator Byrd’s seat becomes vacant.
In a two month period over the past summer, Governor Joe Manchin participated in a conference call with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reird and met with Senator Byrd’s staff in Washington, DC. The New York Times story reports that Senate Democratic leadership staff have confirmed “a plan remains in place to replace him quickly” regarding Senator Byrd.
Read the rest of this entry »
We will be taking a break from posting on West Virginia Red for a few days, unless some major political news happens. Our contributors will return to regular postings on Monday, December 28th. This is an open thread for readers to discuss anything over the few days of our Christmas hiatus. The West Virginia Red team would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas!
Steven Adams of the West Virginia Watchdog website is reporting on the possibility that former Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia Justice Elliot “Spike” Maynard could challenge West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall in West Virginia’s Third Congressional District next year.
Elliot “Spike” Maynard, a conservative Democrat, was elected to a twelve year term on the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia in 1996. Adams writes about the possibility that Maynard could potentially challenge Congressman Nick Rahall as a Republican.
Given the news yesterday that Congressman Parker Griffith of Alabama switched from a Democrat to a Republican it’s foreseeable that many conservative Democrats, like Elliot “Spike” Maynard, could be considering switching to the Republican Party which adheres to their conservative viewpoints.
If Maynard chooses to run and then chooses to run as a Republican he would likely bring with him a huge number of conservative Democrats in the General Election who are not satisfied with the performance of Congressman Rahall on issues like health care reform, deficit spending, and Rahall’s less than enthusiastic support of the coal industry.
The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register reports…
Wheeling architect David McKinley could challenge U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan in a race for the congressional seat in 2010.
McKinley acknowledged Friday that he went to Washington, D.C., this week and spoke with National Republican Congressional Committee members about a potential run in West Virginia’s 1st District. He added that an announcement regarding his plans should occur before the end of 2009.
McKinley is a former state delegate and past chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party.
Andy Sere, spokesman for the NRCC, indicated the party would be happy to have McKinley in a race against Mollohan, D-W.Va.
Read the rest of this entry »
Washington Post reports…
“At 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon — nine hours before the 1 a.m. vote that would effectively clinch the legislation’s passage — Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) went to the Senate floor to describe the last GOP chance to block the bill. “What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can’t make the vote tonight,” he said. “That’s what they ought to pray.”
“It was difficult to escape the conclusion that Coburn was referring to the 92-year-old, wheelchair-bound Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) who lay at home ailing and has been in and out of hospitals. It would not be easy for him to get out of bed in the wee hours with a foot and a half of snow on the ground — but without his vote, Democrats wouldn’t have the 60 they needed.”
Friday Front Porch! Where the reader becomes the blogger. Use this thread to talk about anything, complain about something, send kudos to someone, or simply share gossip. Have a good weekend!
Yesterday, West Virginia Congressmen Alan Mollohan (WV-01) and Nick Rahall (WV-03) voted to increase the debt ceiling by $290 billion. The $290 billion increase would set the debt ceiling at $12.394 trillion.
The vote was very close with a final vote of 217-212 (Roll Call No. 991). No Republicans voted for the bill, and 38 Democrats voted against it.
Many centrist and vulnerable Democrat lawmakers opposed the legislation fearing they would be portrayed as allowing the nation to go deeper into debt. The spending that Congress has undertaken to right the economy is becoming a potent campaign issue for 2010.
West Virginia Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02) voted against the bill.
Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito continues to be West Virginia’s only leader in Washington when it comes to protecting the future of coal and the future of West Virginia.
Yesterday, the Congresswoman blogged about the need for West Virginia’s Congressional Delegation to unify in its effort to save and defend coal. She also called on the delegation to not concede to those people and groups targeting coal.
David McKinley
The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room reports…
“Former West Virginia state Del. David McKinley (R) was in Washington on Tuesday meeting with members of Congress and the NRCC, as he rounds up support for a possible run at Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.).”
“McKinley appears likely to run at this point (75-25, according to one GOP operative), and he would bring personal resources to the race. He ran for governor in 1996, losing the primary to Gov. Cecil Underwood (R), and is a former state GOP chairman.”
“Republicans have a number of candidates already in the race against Mollohan, including state Sen. Clark Barnes. But the national party is still looking for someone they believe can scare the incumbent. Mollohan is a retirement target for the GOP.”
David McKinley was recently named the 24th most powerful West Virginian by West Virginia Executive magazine.
West Virginia Executive said, “McKinley is a one-man economic catalyst for Northern West Virginia. McKinley possesses a unique ability to turn an idea into a beautifully designed reality. An engineer by education, McKinley can address complicated development challenges quickly.”
It’s funny how some people, especially Ken Ward and the environmental extremists, don’t think we have paid attention to what West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd said recently about coal mining.
It seems like every day that Ken Ward posts something on his Coal Tattoo blog about who is not listening to what Senator Byrd said in his statement.
Do people, like Ken Ward, honestly expect everyone to fall in line after Byrd issues a decree on coal? Have people been waiting for guidance from Byrd on this issue? I must be missing something.
Are people honestly surprised that Governor Joe Manchin is seeking clarification on what Byrd said about coal mining? Do people honestly think that Governor Manchin cares about what Senator Byrd said regarding coal?
Read the rest of this entry »
Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito will be blogging about her trip to COP15 in Copenhagen.
West Virginians can read about her experience on her blog, which is located in the press section of her website. The Congresswoman made her first blog entry in a guest post at the Heritage Foundation’s “Foundry Blog,” which can be found here.
In her post on The Foundry, Capito says:
“Yet – as all this unfolds – I can’t help but think about what this will all mean to mining communities in my state of West Virginia, or in Kentucky or Wyoming or other energy-producing communities across our nation.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Charles Krauthammer thinks environmentalism is the new socialism. A great op-ed about the expanded power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and how the agency is seizing control over things it was never intended to regulate.
Read the rest of this entry »
Mac Warner, a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Army and a longtime Morgantown small business owner, has filed the appropriate paper work to be an official candidate in the First Congressional Districts. It’s also been reported that Warner held his first campaign fundraiser last evening at the Charleston Tennis Club in Charleston.
An official press release from the campaign confirms that Warner has filed the appropriate candidacy paperwork.
Read the rest of this entry »
