Gov. Joe Manchin has apparently struck a deal with state legislators that will set a special election for Robert Byrd’s Senate seat this fall:
Under the draft agreement lawmakers were shown at about 5 p.m., voters would go to the polls for an Aug. 28 for a primary to choose party nominees and then again Nov. 2 for a general election. Candidates who have already filed for an office would be allowed to run in the special Senate election. The provision would allow someone like Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, the Republican’s most prominent candidate, to run for reelection in the House but also take a shot at serving out Robert Byrd’s unexpired term, which ends in Jan. 2013. The deal ended an impasse between the House and Senate that began Saturday.
Letting Capito have a free crack at this race is utterly baffling, and I hope it doesn’t prove to be a too-cute-by-half move that ultimately backfires. Sure, Joe “The Manchine” Manchin will be formidable in any West Virginia election, but one Martha Coakley wasn’t supposed to lose, either…
In a world where candidates and campaigns matter, the world we should all want to live in, Coakley was supposed to lose.
I don’t understand why the Dem-controlled legislature would want to do this. I haven’t heard this anywhere, but perhaps Rahall wants to run and finish his career as a Senator, then open the door for Manchin in 2012? Unless that happens, this is great news for the GOP, as it lets us run our best candidate with no risk.
Nevertheless, this is somewhere between Lean and Likely D for me.
It’s tough luck if she’d have to give up her House seat in order to run for the Senate, no special treatment.
…letting Capito slide in and then running against her in 2012. That would be a stupid strategy on his part, but this whole special election charade has been incredibly stupid. I wouldn’t put it past him to do something dumb like that.
the question really is whether it will be a positive or negative for Moore-Capito to run. I am not so sure. I suppose she will not lose anything as she is guaranteed her house seat and it could give her higher name rec for a future statewide run in 2012 against Tamblin or an open seat in 2014 but she could damage her image if she runs a bad campaign. Then again there is always the wild chance she wins but I doubt it. If I was her I would probably stay put and run for Governor in 2012 or Senate in 2014, probably Senate if the Governs mansion is not open in 2012. She already has fairly good name rec and would really just be chancing damaging peoples opinion of her, plus she would be blowing all of her money. I suppose she could win but she would be the underdog and the Republicans would be spending money here when they have much better pickup opportunities elsewhere.
After the appointment we have a weak incumbent what will not run for the reelection, and we wish the minimum risk for Manchin, the strong democratic candidate, when he must run for an open seat.
I would not change the law now, with an open process for the succession of a death senator, because all the people is looking now if the changes are for favore to the democrats, and that mean the people is looking now if the changes are for favore to Manchin. Manchin is in risk of appear as a person what promote new laws what favore him.
The best for Manchin’s image would be follow the old law. I think try to change the law now is worse than appoint himself for the senate seat.
If Manchin would appoint himself for the senate seat, now we would have an strong incumbent senator running for the reelection when the special election comes, and an incumbent governor running for governor when the election comes. Moore-Capito would have an incumbent for both offices for the next decade at least.
And I think with low cost, because the people was ready for understand what Manchin was the strongest candidate for the appointment.
…he’s obviously not thinking straight… He’s practically giving the seat away! Is he so obsessed that he can’t see the peril of this idiotic deal right in front of his eyes? What a fool!