After you finish wrapping your Christmas gifts check out the giving and receiving to political candidate this year. Below you will find the information filed to cover October 22 until November 18. Click on a name to open.
Governor
Attorney General
State Treasurer
Commissioner of Agriculture
Justice of Supreme Court
Letitia “Tish” Chafin (Report not filed at time this was prepared)
The morning afterwards I wrote a piece about the Aftermath. I mentioned if there a lesson to be learned from the positive campaign [my wife Jenny’s thought] of Allen Loughry approach in winning a seat on the Supreme Court. There is a front page story about this very question in today’s Charleston Gazette written by Paul J. Nyden. Click here to learn the Loughry way.
The aftermath continues for potential change in the WV Legislature. Not only is it being driven by the huge victory by Republican candidates but Democrats must face the new reality. To help our non-“political valley” readers keep up here is the Statehouse Beat column by Phil Kabler. Stay informed here.
An editorial in the Charleston Daily Mail also addresses the aftermath as it impacts the Legislature. Read it here.
Today is a new day in the political world. Yesterday brought cheers to some and extreme disappointment to many. What happen and why, what needs done?
We all know what happen. On the surface without much sleep or study it appears the Obama team after 2008 made a tactical decision that brought benefits yesterday. They left a staff footprint in places they knew were must wins for a second term – Ohio for one. It took entirely too long for Republicans to find their nominee. The Obama negative machine kicked in to define Romney before he could turn around. The need to carefully handle the extreme branch of the Republican Party delayed Romney’s message that Republicans must work with Democrats to address the nation’s needs. Not to be forgotten or even understood was why no effort was made to show the human side of this descent man. Finally, there was that lady Sandy a late arrival to the political world.
What needs to be done? The Republican Party’s tent needs to be expanded. A serious look needs to be taken at the demographics and appeal to people in the minority and immigrant communities. I recall Karl Rove telling us in early 2001 that for President Bush to win in 2004 we needed Hispanics. Bush won 44 percent of Hispanics in 2004 and Romney 27 percent yesterday.
We know what happen in West Virginia. Success came to Republicans by winning the Attorney General’s office with Patrick Morrisey and Allen Loughry becoming a member of the Supreme Court. More importantly the gains made by Republican candidates for the Legislature is huge. That is where real change in public policy comes from. Overall the Democrats continued winning most major offices in the Executive Branch and the US Senate seat.
Governor Romney continued the Republican trend started by George W. Bush in 2000 when he became the first non-incumbent Republican to do so in 70 years.
What needs to be done? Despite recruiting outstanding statewide GOP candidates as was done this year there is more to it than just filing, raising a small amount of money, attending Republican events and ramping up at Labor Day. The success of Patrick Morrisey proves you can win but it takes an aggressive campaign, money and a political and marketing strategy. Is there a lesson to be learned from Allen Loughry’s positive campaign?
Now with the gains in the Legislature it is time for Republicans to develop new public policy ideas with an aggressive communications strategy.
At the county level candidate recruitment should start today. There are good candidates who did not make it yesterday but need to make a second run. However, they must be supported by a strong grassroots Republican county committee.
The State Party needs to change the tone of its message, talk about the benefits of a two-party system at all levels and look for new blood where needed.
Finally, too often the party faithful in both parties put off creating the energy required for victory until the next election. Success comes a day at a time.
You can bet Sandy would not win any election but all interest is focused on her. However, Political Junkies like me and a lot of you are wondering what impact she will have and where does things stand as the snow begins to fall.
The immediate impact is likely to be an increase in early voting. Secondarily, Governor Tomblin has suspended his campaign to oversee the preparations as West Virginians prepare to cope with Sandy. Candidate Bill Maloney in a tweet urged West Virginians to help each other.
On the practical side campaigns count on last minute door-to- door efforts to turn out their voters. Many neighborhoods are cleared of campaign signs that might blow away. Romney signs have been in huge demand and would be hard to replace at this point.
Likely many candidates will postpone trips and county political organizations will cancel get-out-to vote events. Locally organized phone volunteers with lists at home will continue to call – as long as phone service remains.
Of course, those last minute direct mail pieces will make it as the mail always runs. But Sandy may cause you to miss a few TV commercials.
Where things stand can be found on a chart [click to see] Secretary of State Tennant tweeted a couple hours go. It shows county-by-county early votes and absentee ballots returned as of October 29th.
Once Sandy has cast her spell you can bet campaigns will go into a full court press until November 6th election day – hold on…it could be some ride.
There is an old expression “money is the mother’s milk of politics.” WV candidates are filing their last report before the November 6th election. PHILLIPSBILLBOARD provides readers an easy way to see where the money comes from and where it goes. Listed below are the statewide races with the most interest. You can click on the candidate name to view their report. The report of others who are required to file with the Secretary of State may be found by clicking here.
The candidates for Attorney General must have been playing a cat & mouse game as they did not file their reports until just before midnight. That race has gotten hot and interesting this week. Plus according to news accounts a lot of out of state money has shown up to help candidate Morrisey in his effort to replace AG McGraw.
Governor
Attorney General
State Treasurer
Commissioner of Agriculture
Justice of Supreme Court
Voters start to the polls today. They have faced six elections starting in 2010. Voters are suffering election fatigue, the candidates are running tried campaigns and the money providers are drained.
Campaigns need energy to be successful. The Governor’s race in WV has always been the energy creator but not this time. Governor Tomblin seemed to spend his summer governing and dealing with problems not of his doing. Candidate Maloney has worked under the radar. Neither generating the enthusiasm required.
Today the action appears to be race for Attorney General. Hardly what one would expect with a candidate (Morrisey) coming from outside our borders. Incumbent McGraw has faced difficult battles in the past but not like this one. It appears Morrisey is running a website campaign with an ad on every site visited. I would have advised McGraw to follow a different campaign strategy than he has for years. One that would have generated energy to fuel his re-election bid. We’ll see.
There have been no public polls since R L Repass and Partners released their work in early September for the WV Chamber of Commerce. But you can bet if Candidate Maloney had an internal poll showing him at the edge of victory it would have been leaked – or he would be writing another big check. He needs the energy I recall from Governor Underwood’s 1996 for him to win.
The incumbent Governor Tomblin is expected to be in the lead. His concern should be Southern voters who were a big factor in his earlier election. Southern coal miners are not going to vote for Obama – that is a given. But will they leave their traditional Democratic party to vote for Romney? They may just not vote. Remember when United Mine Workers declared a holiday in 1996 so their members would go out and vote for Democrat Charlotte Pritt. Cecil Underwood won while the miners went squirrel hunting.
What could save Democrats in close races across the state is Senator Manchin. Though he appears safe for re-election he is out working every day and has made some strategic moves.
Republican Party leaders have created high expectations among their county leaders. Most see hope for a top down victory starting with Governor Romney. The question is…will Romney have coattails? If not, despite Republicans putting up their best slate of Board of Public Works candidates in years success may not be at their doorstep.
With such outstanding candidates and the need to change various state officials I would have offered this strategy. One that was coordinated from the top that included fund raising, messaging, scheduling and marketing. However, one thing being coordinated is the GOP effort to get-out-the vote thru eight Victory offices spread around the state. This should pay dividends.
The Democratic Party has always run coordinated get-out-vote efforts. Not much has ever been known about the elements used. With the baggage of Obama on that ticket their candidates had better hope the party faithful go to the polls.
The most important take away message from this piece is don’t let fatigue keep you from the polls.
As you can see there is a divide in the way the newspapers in “political valley” look at various races. The WV Press Association has pushed this week as Endorsement Week. As a result it is easier for voters to compare the opinions of newspaper editorial boards. They are to be commended for taking this action. Earlier this week we carried other endorsement editorials & news. Go to PHILLIPSBILLBOARD to read. Click on the headline to read the full story.
Endorsements show wide-ranging opinions
The WV Press Association
What’s your opinion on the status of politics in West Virginia? It’s a state with a Democratic voting majority that has voted Republican in the last three presidential elections. Political opinions can clearly shift in the Mountain State.
Editorial [The Charleston Daily Mail]
The state Department of Agriculture has a budget of $65 million a year and a staff of more than 350 people. For 44 of the last 48 years Democrat Gus Douglass has been its commissioner.
Editorial [The Charleston Gazette]
A long stretch of West Virginia’s future hinges on one portion of the Nov. 6 election ballot, which will fill tow 12 year-tem on the state Supreme Court. The winners will help set Mountain State legal precedents affecting all aspects of life.
Editorial [The Charleston Gazette]
We wish Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin were more loyal to the Democratic Party and willing to support President Obama for a second term in the White House. However, in the Nov. 6 election, voters must choose among names on the gubernatorial ballot. The Republican nominee is so unpalatable that we have no choice but to back Tomblin.
Editorial [The Charleston Gazette]
Since he first became West Virginia’s attorney general in 1993, Darrell McGraw has won more than $2 billion for the state, mostly from dubious operators who violated state consumer laws.
Editorial [The Charleston Daily Mail]
The governor’s race only seems like it’s between Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Republican challenger Bill Maloney. It should be about the elephant in the room.
Editorial [The Charleston Daily Mail]
The attorney general is one of the most powerful elected officials in the state. Darrell McGraw has occupied that position for 20 long years.
Editorial [The Charleston Daily Mail]
West Virginia has a reputation for a prickly legal climate. That perception developed in part because of legislative decisions, in part from how the attorney general has used his office, and in part because some State Supreme Court justices were not committed to fairness.
OTHER POLITICAL NEWS
Huge out-of-state spending in West Virginia attorney general’s race
By Ry Rivard
A conservative, anti-regulation group is spending $1.6 million to try to defeat Democrat Attorney General Darrell McGraw, according to West Virginia Secretary of State records.
TV attack ads for 3rd District spill into Charleston
By Jared Hunt [Daily Mail Capitol Reporter]
Although they can’t vote in the race for 3rd Congressional District, Kanawha Valley residents have heard a lot about Rep. Nick Rahall and Republican Rick Snuffer lately.
The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan will hold a rally Saturday at Valley View Campgrounds near Morristown.
Doors will open at 10 a.m. with the event at noon. The venue is located at 43523 National Road, near the Jamboree In The Hills site.
To RSVP and receive a ticket, visit mittromney.com/oh or go to the Steubenville Victory Center, 100 Mall Drive B-8, Steubenville.
Political news and endorsements have increased this week. I will share a few to assist readers who are not in the “political valley” keep up. Click on the headline to read full story.
W.Va. needs to change the Senate; Republican John Raese would
The Charleston Daily Mail
The U.S. Senate race between former legislator, secretary of state and Gov. Joe Manchin and his Republican challenger, John Raese, presents a painful choice for many West Virginians.
Political ad may spark lawsuit
By Zack Harold [Daily Mail Staff]
State Sen. Walt Helmick’ s campaign for state agriculture commissioner last week threatened legal action against Suddenlink Communications if the cable company continued running a Republican-sponsored ad against him.
By Mike Myer [The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register]
I don’t belong to an organized political party, goes the old joke – I’m a Democrat. For some time in West Virginia, that would have been more appropriate for Republicans.
The Charleston Mail
Republican Shelley Moore Capito works hard and with all people
Few members of Congress are as hard working and effective as Republican Shelley Moore Capito has been.
Romney is clearly the best choice
The Inter-Mountain
Before casting your vote in the election for president, ask yourself two questions:
First, is the United States better off today than four years ago? Even more important, will you be better off four years from now?
The Charleston Daily Mail
Republican Mike Hall would be a distinct asset in this position
THE state Treasurer’s Office runs a $13 billion banking operation, a program that lets people save for children’s education; and a division that connects people with unclaimed property.
Manchin, Baber discuss mountaintop mining, redistricting after Raese walkout
By Eric Eyre [The Charleston Gazette]
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin and Mountain Party candidate Bob Henry Baber told Gazette editors Friday that they support expanding West Virginia’s renewable energy portfolio, but they also said the state can’t abandon coal.
Democrat voter base in decline
By Jared Hunt [Daily Mail Capitol Reporter]
Though still in the majority statewide, West Virginia Democrats have seen their ranks erode over the last four years as independents have gained force.
Editorial: Tomblin has proven during tenure he’s best choice to lead the state
The Herald-Dispatch
The past 24 months have been busy ones for West Virginia politics and Earl Ray Tomblin.
By Ry Rivard [Daily Mail Capitol Reporter]
The Republican candidate for governor said he wants to amend the state constitution to eliminate a key tax on businesses and give local governments more authority to come up with their own taxes.
The Charleston Gazette
As we’ve said before, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is partly a DINO (Democrat in name only). He stands with Republicans on some major issues — in contrast to West Virginia’s senior senator, Jay Rockefeller. Manchin won’t even say whether he will vote for Democratic President Obama, and he refused to attend the Democratic National Convention, to avoid identification with the national ticket.
[Editor’s Explanation: I quickly learned reviewing the daily newspapers across the state was overwhelming in my quest to provide statewide political news. I appreciate the response from those outside the “political valley” and will work to provide coverage of significant stories.]
Last evening the 2012 gubernatorial candidates [Governor Tomblin & Bill Maloney] participated in an hour long debate. The Associated Press which normally provides media coverage to its clients without state capitol based reporters decided not to cover the debate. The sponsors I believe unfairly would not allow photographers and reporters to cover the debate in the same room as the candidates and permitted only video coverage of the event. The other two candidates whose names will appear on the ballot were excluded. Hopefully, the stories below will give PHILLIPSBILLBOARD readers a feel of the debate. The sponsors were the WV Broadcasters Association and the AARP.
Click on the headline to read the full story.
Tomblin, Maloney stand their ground during debate
By Ann Ali [Senior Political Reporter, The State Journal]
After an hour of debate between Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and is Republican challenger Bill Maloney, there wasn’t a whole lot of new ground to cover.
Tomblin, Maloney go at it in debate
By Phil Kabler [Staff writer, The Charleston Gazette]
Charleston, WV – In the only debate of their rematch campaign for governor, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin stressed his steady leadership and fiscal responsibility, while Republican Bill Maloney argued that West Virginia has lost jobs and economic opportunities during Tomblin’ s 37 years in state politics.
Tomblin, Maloney square off in first and only debate this year
By Ry Rivard [Daily Mail Capitol Reporter]
Charleston, WV – Democrat Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Republican challenger Bill Maloney went toe-to-toe Tuesday night in the year’s first and only televised gubernatorial debate.
Big Money Races
There appears to be little interest in 2012 November election. However, there is always interest in money. Three statewide races are drawing attention. Today was the deadline for candidates to file finance reports. Take a close look. Just click on the name.
To view the financial reports of other candidates click here.
Governor
Attorney General
Commissioner of Agriculture
Justice of Supreme Court