Below is a collection of news from around the State. You can read the full story you find of interest. Just click on the headline.
By Phil Kabler [Staff writer, The Charleston Gazette]
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin made his case for re-election to a full four-year term during interviews with Gazette editors Monday, while Republican challenger Bill Maloney and Mountain Party candidate Jesse Johnson said it is time for a change in state government.
Senate hopefuls still clash over federal deficit
By Jared Hunt [Daily Mail Capitol Reporter]
Sen. Joe Manchin and challenger John Raese agree the country is on the verge of a fiscal disaster, but the two differ sharply over how to fix the problem.
House candidates report finances
By Jess Mancini [The Parkersburg News and Sentinel]
A candidate for the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 8th District is the top campaign spender so far among Wood County candidates, according to financial disclosures filed with the secretary of state.
Editorial [The Parkersburg News and Sentinel]
Misleading
Registered Republicans throughout West Virginia who received automated political phone calls criticizing some of their party’s leaders recently may have spent a few moments wondering what was up.
Leonhardt presses for working together Food security is paramount
By Rachel Molenda [Journal Staff Writer, Martinsburg]
West Virginia is widely known for its coal and natural gas resources. Most people do not think about the state’s large agricultural sector. Citizens will have to consider this, however, Nov. 6 when casting their votes for the next Agriculture Commissioner. Kent Leonhardt thinks he is the candidate for the job.
Helmick prioritizes food safety, regulations
By Rachel Molenda [Journal Staff Writer, Martinsburg]
As attempts to grow West Virginia’s agricultural industry continue, voters will choose the next agriculture commissioner Nov. 6. Walt Helmick, a state senator, believes his policymaking experience makes him qualified for the position.
Both Manchin and Raese are West Virginians
By Michael Holz, [Berkeley County, Letter to Editor, The Journal, Martinsburg]
There have been a lot of false reports about John Raese’s residential status, claiming that he’s a resident of Florida and not West Virginia. The inference is that Mr. Raese is some sort of wealthy elitist who enjoys life in the Sunshine State while trying to secure political power by claiming to be a resident of West Virginia in order to run for the U.S. Senate.
By Seth Borenstein [Associated Press, The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register
WASHINGTON (AP) – When it comes to electing the president, not all votes are created equal. And chances are yours will count less than those of a select few.
Energy interests fueling Tombin’s W.Va. gov bid
The Associated Press [The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The coal industry and other energy interests are helping to fuel West Virginia’s governor’s race, contributing both to Republican Bill Maloney and the Democratic incumbent, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, the latest campaign finance reports show.
Candidates, miners talk coal at rally
By Mark Webb [The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington]
Coal miner John Nelson speaks as Republicans gather for a rally on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at the Lawrence County Fairgrounds.
Manchin seeks more state sovereignty
By Curtis Johnson [The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington]
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., left, sits with Evelyn Swain, of Gallipolis, Ohio, in the Kennedy booth, so named because former President John F. Kennedy sat there years ago during a visit to Jim’s Spaghetti & Steak House, on Friday, Sept. 28, 2012, along 5th Avenue in downtown Huntington.
Thumbs down: Politicians should exempt themselves on robocalls
Opinion, The Herald-Dispatch, Huntington
This week, Republicans in West Virginia are complaining about a series of Democratic “robocalls,” which they say violate the rules of the Federal Communications Commission because they did not state who was responsible for the call.
The Herald-Dispatch
The 2012 general election is Tuesday, Nov. 6. We are running profiles from candidates who have filled out our questionnaire. For answers to more questions from this candidate and others, visit Herald-Dispatch.com. Click Elections, then Local Races. If a candidate has submitted his or her profile information and questions, the candidate’s name will be a blue hyperlink to that information. Candidates’ replies appear as they were submitted and have not been edited.
Statehouse Beat: Voter fatigue setting in
By Phil Kabler [Sunday Gazette-Mail]
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Discussing the voter lethargy surrounding the 2012 election, West Virginia Wesleyan political science professor Robert Rupp remarked that you’d probably have to go back a long ways to find the last time the most interesting statewide race was for state Supreme Court.
For Romney, wealth means both freedom and a trap
By Ann Gerhart and Philip Rucker [The Washington Post]
When Mitt Romney was a young man, his father gave him direct advice: “He said never get involved in politics if you have to win election to pay a mortgage,” Romney often says. “Financial independence was key.”
Sheriff term limits up for vote again
By Jared Hunt [Daily Mail Capitol Reporter]
West Virginia voters will once again vote on repealing a long-standing constitutional limit on the number of terms county sheriffs can hold office during this November’s general election.
Senator criticizes WVU’s lobbying efforts
By Ry Rivard [Daily Mail Capitol Reporter]
West Virginia University’s lobbying efforts will focus on trying to curb a decline in research funding and shore up a budget facing cuts by the Tomblin administration.