Tag: WV-02

Anne Barth had a long-scheduled event at Martinsburg headquarters before she and about 30 volunteers went off to canvass. By sheer coincidence ineffective Bush Republican Shelley Moore Capito held the opening of her campaign headquarters in Martinsburg across the street.  

Here’s some union and Democratic activists doing a sign wave on the four corners of King and Queen streets.

Here’s some of the hundreds dozens handful of enthused excited people who thought Capito was passing out free Lottery tickets at her event.

Here’s Barth talking to a couple of supporters before her speech.

Barth addresses some of the folks at the Berkeley County Democratic HQ.

Barth described how Cook, Rothenberg and Congressional Quarterly have steadly moved the race in her direction and she expects it’ll be listed as a toss up next quarter.

Barth and the volunteers went out in teams to canvass several precincts in Martinsburg.

Now in addition to Cook’s Political Report and others, Congressional Quarterly is jumping on that band wagon.

CQ Politics today is changing the race ratings in 14 congressional districts in 10 states to reflect changing political circumstances that mean brighter prospects for the Democrats, who are expected to augment their 236-199 majority in the U.S. House in the November elections.

Twelve of the 14 race rating changes favor the Democrats, compared to two that favor Republicans, who are trying to limit their losses this year after suffering a net loss of 30 House seats in the 2006 election.

CQ Politics bases its race ratings changes on a variety of factors, including polling and fundraising figures, demographic and political data and conversations with political analysts and party officials. The race ratings are better described as snapshots than as election predictions, and they are subject to change at any time.

snip

• West Virginia’s 2nd(New Rating: Leans Republican. Previous Rating: Republican Favored). Four-term Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is well-liked and has some centrist leanings, but her election victories also have been aided by underfunded or flawed Democratic opponents. She may face her toughest challenge yet from Anne Barth, a longtime West Virginia-based aide to Democratic Sen. Robert C. Byrd who entered the race after Democratic state Sen. John Unger withdrew just before the January candidate filing deadline. With $636,000 in campaign receipts through the end of June, Barth has already raised more than 2006 Democratic nominee Mike Callaghan raised for the duration of a campaign in which he won 43 percent of the vote against Capito.

Double-talking Shelley Moore Capito

Republicans are dropping money on Capito that was raised to expand the Republican majority and in their desperation are using it to protect an incumbent.

My guess is Capito has seen internal polling that is panicking her. She’s been too afraid to meet with constituents to answer their questions because she’s so out of touch with the people of WV-02 she doesn’t know what to say to them.

Capito has painted herself into a corner. She clearly wants to distance herself from the wildly unpopular George W. Bush so that she doesn’t lose “independents” yet at the same time she can’t distance herself too publicly without alienating the mouth-breathing part of her base that still supports him. The same with the Iraq war. At the end of the 2006 campaign, she signalled she was for withdrawing the troops from Iraq just as she expected the Iraq Study Group report to recommend, but then she reversed herself again on the issue, proving she’s no independent. Her “centrist” leanings fail to show on key votes that matter.

Meanwhile Barth is one of the most attractive – in many ways – candidates we’ve ever had run for WV-02. Her experience at getting the job done for Byrd in West Virginia would be a great asset in the House of Representatives, particularly in a district where Capito has consistently been in the the bottom half of the power rankings at the nonpartisan Congress.org. Even when the Republicans held the majority, Democrats Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan had much higher ratings for effectiveness than Capito.

This election is simple if we want to put someone in to get the job done for us. Anne can. Capito can’t.

Is ineffective Bush Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito afraid to be seen with her good friend of the past 7 years, George W. Bush? Did she ask him to stay away as she runs against a tough challenger, Anne Barth, and Capito tries to distance herself from her past rubberstamp support of Bush’s extreme rightwing agenda?

NPR:

In what has become something of a Fourth of July tradition, President Bush traveled to West Virginia – the fourth time in his presidency he has gone there on Independence Day.

Mr. Bush marked the occasion by promoting something he had lately stopped talking about – victory in Iraq.

Despite being saddled with the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, President Bush got a warm welcome today in Martinsburg. It was an invitation-only crowd, mainly West Virginia Air National Guardsmen and their families.

Mr. Bush made no mention of the fact that he served in the Texas Air National Guard at a time when the nation was mired in the Vietnam War.

2007 (Martinsburg):

I appreciate being here today with a really fine United States Congresswoman, Shelly Moore Capito, and her husband, Charlie. (Applause.)

2005 (Charleston):

I appreciate Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito. I appreciate her service; I appreciate her love for the great state of West Virginia. Thank you, Shelley Moore. (Applause.)

2004 (Morgantown):

Today is the day we gather with our friends and family and give thanks to the United States of America; give thanks to the fact that we are citizens in a free land. (Applause.) I give thanks to Shelley Moore Capito for serving the people of West Virginia so well in the United States Congress. (Applause.)

I was greeted by your Mayor today — I’m honored the Mayor, Mayor Danny Jones took time to say hello. Mr. Mayor, thanks for having me here, and thanks for serving your community. (Applause.) I know, you want me to tell him to fill the potholes. (Laughter.) I appreciate the President of the Charleston City Council, Councilman Tom Lane for being here, as well. Thank you, Councilman. All those who work hard for the people of Charleston. (Applause.)

We’ve got a lot of state and local officials. I’m honored you all are here. Thanks for inviting me to this beautiful capitol. I appreciate the planning committee for this independence weekend celebration. You know, it takes a lot of effort to put one of these deals together, and a lot of people have been working hard to do so, starting with Spike Maynard, who is the co-chairman and the Chief Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. (Applause.) I told the judge I liked being in the presence with somebody who doesn’t try to re-write the Constitution. (Applause.)

I appreciate Mr. Sam Hindman, who is the retired publisher of your newspaper. He’s a leader in your community. He’s been a community leader for a long time. Thanks, Sam, for your hospitality. I want to thank my friend, Bill Raney, President of the West Virginia Coal Association, for being here, as well. (Applause.)

2002 (Jackson County):

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank you. Well, thank you, Shelly*, and thanks for that warm welcome. I’m really proud to be in Jackson County, West Virginia. (Applause.)

Today we mark the 226th birthday of the United States of America. Last year I spent my first Independence Day as your President in Philadelphia. This year I get to spend it in Ripley, West Virginia. (Applause.)

Shelly told me about the 4th of July celebration. She said I needed to come and meet the town. It looks like most of you showed up. (Laughter.) I appreciate your hospitality. I appreciate all the hard work that went into making this 4th of July celebration such a fantastic gathering of our fellow Americans. And thanks for having me. (Applause.)

I want to thank Shelly Moore Capito for her friendship and her leadership in the halls of Congress.

But no Bush for Capito this year on July 4th. With his popularity around 25 percent, she doesn’t want voters to remember she’s been supportive of his unpopular programs every step of the way.

Soon we’ll be able to celebrate our independence from both of them. Capito came in with Bush, she needs to go with him.

In 2006, ineffective Bush Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito won re-election with 57 percent of the vote in a year that saw Democrats take over the House nationally.  

George Bush won in a landslide in the district. You’d think there couldn’t be a more “Solid Republican” seat.

Today Cook Political Report (subscription required) has upgraded the race in Barth’s direction once again. As I’ve understood it, the Cook Political Report only moves a race up one notch at a time. WV-02 has gone from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.”

That doesn’t mean Barth doesn’t have a lot of ground to make up and a lot of work to do. With her Big Oil fat cats, coal barons, Wall Street, mortgage lenders and banks helping to keep her in office as a reliable rubberstamp for their interests, Capito has three times the money in the bank.

But it’s no wonder Republicans are having to spend money from [a fund to assist challengers to help try to save Capito.

Barth is taking Capito to the mats and Capito’s spokesman already is crying about it.

The more people learn of Capito’s record and not the faux moderate image the media has let her create, the less they like her. By contrast, the more people who meet Barth, the more they like her.

Capito can’t. Anne can. It’s that simple.

Here’s the 27 races upgraded in our direction

AL-03    Mike Rogers    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

CA-46    Dana Rohrabacher    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

FL-08    Ric Keller    Likely Republican to Lean Republican

FL-09    Gus Bilirakis    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

FL-18    Ileana Ros-Lehtinen    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

FL-21    Lincoln Diaz-Balart    Likely Republican to Lean Republican

ID-01    Bill Sali    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

IN-03    Mark Souder    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

IA-04    Tom Latham    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

KY-02    OPEN (Lewis)    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

MN-02    John Kline    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

NE-02    Lee Terry    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

NV-02    Dean Heller    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

NJ-05    Scott Garrett    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

NY-13    OPEN (Fossella)    Toss Up to Lean Democratic

NY-25    OPEN (Walsh)    Toss Up to Lean Democratic

NC-10    Patrick McHenry    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

OH-07    OPEN (Hobson)    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

PA-03    Phil English    Likely Republican to Lean Republican

PA-05    OPEN (Peterson)    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

PA-11    Paul Kanjorksi    Likely Democratic to Lean Democratic

PA-15    Charlie Dent    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

TX-07    John Culberson    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

TX-10    Michael McCaul    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

VA-05    Virgil Goode    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

VA-10    Frank Wolf    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

WV-02    Shelley Moore Capito    Likely Republican to Lean Republican

WY-AL    OPEN (Cubin)    Solid Republican to Likely Republican

Ineffective Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito came in to office with her good friend George W. Bush and she needs to leave with him. For the past 7 and a half years what has she accomplished for WV-02? Nothing. She has little to show for her four terms in office for the WV-02 District.

As Clem pointed out the right wing bloggers don’t even write anything positive about her because there’s nothing there.

For the past 21 years, Anne Barth has worked with Sen. Robert C. Byrd to serve West Virginians. There’s been no one better at constituent service in Congress than Senator Byrd and he doesn’t do it alone. He’s relied on staffers like Anne Barth.

Like her political idol George W. Bush, Shelley Moore Capito grew up as the child of privilege. Her father former Gov. Arch Moore made sure when she wanted to run for office she was elected. She was born on 3rd base and acts like she hit a triple. And throughout her long years in Congress, she’s voted consistently on issues that have helped people like her – wealthy and born into privilege – over people who know what it’s like to earn a paycheck through the sweat of our brows. She’s voted against bills supported by the unions and she’s voted on bills that put a greater burden on the middleclass to give bigger tax cuts to the rich.

Anne Barth was born the daughter of a minister, who served different parishes throughout the state. Then she served as the right hand of Senator Byrd as he served the people of the state.

When it comes to getting the job done, Anne can.

In other WV-02 news, the DCCC picked the race as one of 13 to highlight Republicans tied to Big Oil.

spruceshoe pointed out that Capito is one of 8 Republicans receiving funds from a national Republican funnel group at the NRCC called ROMP (Regain Our Majority Program).

How are they going to gain seats spending money to defend an incumbent?

Clem had a nice Barth fundraiser diary.

Celebrate July 4th with Anne Barth.

Chris Van Hollen will be on the state’s most influential radio call in show Wednesday to talk up Barth.

DemocracyCorps has an exciting survey (pdf) of 46 Congressional races of seats currently held by Republicans.

In Tier 1 races, which Democrat Anne Barth’s challenge of Bush Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito falls under, the Democratic candidates lead the Republican candidates 51-42.

On issues, from Iraq to the economy, the Democratic stance is favored over the Republican.

For example on the Iraq war, here’s the results for the Democratic position similar to Barth’s versus The Republican position identical to Capito’s.

Here’s Barth’s position:

“We are in our fifth year of the Iraq war with no strategy to win the peace and bring our brave soldiers home.  There have been over 4,000 American lives lost, more than a trillion dollars spent, with no end in sight.  While I support our troops, I oppose an open-ended commitment to the war in Iraq.

I will work toward a responsible plan to bring our brave men and women home with honor.  

We must focus on training the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own security soon, set benchmarks for the Iraqi military, and give more emphasis to diplomatic strategies.  

The war in Iraq has had a serious impact on our military, and our brave men and women are stretched thin by extended deployments. In Congress, I will work to strengthen America’s national security and refocus on the terrorist threats around the globe that are currently ignored.”

Here’s Capito’s last public statement

“In recent months we’ve seen hopeful signs of progress on security and localized political reconciliation in Iraq.  We want Iraqis to take control and we must continue to apply pressure to Iraq’s national leaders, but now is not the time to pull the rug out from under our troops who are performing admirably and achieving results.”

I point those out to show the similarity between the way the question was asked in the survey.

[800 Respondents]

Q.61 (SPLIT D) Now I’m going to read you what the candidates for Congress are saying on Iraq. Regardless of who you would vote for, please tell me whether the Democratic statement or the Republican statement comes closer to your own view, even if neither is exactly right.

The Democratic candidate says the war in Iraq has cost us trillions of dollars while our economy has weakened, and has made America less secure. We must strengthen America’s security by starting to reduce our troops in Iraq in a responsible way, force the Iraqi government to use its oil money to pay for reconstruction and work with other nations to bring stability. We need to invest the money we are currently spending in Iraq to restore our military, deal with Afghanistan and strengthen America’s own economy and security. But the Republican candidate for Congress wants to keep our troops in Iraq for at least another 5 years.

OR

The Republican candidate says there has been military and political progress in Iraq, and that to withdraw now would cost more in lives and create more instability in the Middle East. If we follow John McCain’s lead to see our commitment through until the end of his first term, by 2013 America will have welcomed most of our troops home and the Iraq war will have been won. Though some violence will still occur, Iraq will be a functioning democracy with al Qaeda defeated and the U.S. maintaining just a small military presence that does not play a direct combat role. But the Democratic candidate for Congress wants to pull our troops out precipitously and give al Qaeda a big victory.

Total

Democratic statement strongly – 44

Democratic statement somewhat – 15

Republican statement somewhat – 13

Republican statement strongly – 26

(Don’t know/refused) – 3

With the numbers rounded that gives 59 percent supporting the Democratic statement and 39 percent supporting the Republic view. Note too how favorably the question was even worded to tilt support for the GOP position.

And keep in mind this was a poll done in Republican held districts.

Hat tip to RandySF for first tipping me to the Democracy Corps poll.

With apologies in advance to David Letterman,

From the home office in Paw Paw, West Virginia, here’s the Top 10 reasons on why you should support Anne Barth.

No. 10 – Anne’s been “Getting the Job Done” for West Virginia for the past 21 years working for Senator Byrd unlike Shelley Moore Capito, who after 8 years in Congress can’t list a single accomplishment.

No. 9 – Nick Rahall and Alan Mollohan endorsed Anne because they want someone who is hard working and effective to serve with them because whenever they call Shelley she’s busy serving as president of the George W. Bush Fan Club.

No. 8 – Anne is for “pay-as-you-go” balanced budgets while Shelley helped George W. Bush run up record federal deficits, blowing through money faster than Powerball winners on a road trip to casinos and strip clubs.

No. 7 – Anne wants our veterans to be able to go to high quality VA hospitals for their healthcare needs. Shelley wants them to go deploy on yet another tour of duty in Iraq.

No. 6 – Anne wants tax breaks for working families of West Virginia so they can take care of their children and send them to college. Shelley looks out for a special class of minorities, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans who are millionaires. Hey, someone’s got to look after their interests so they can buy all the caviar, yachts and multiple vacation homes they want.

No. 5 – Anne believes in improving West Virginia’s highways and bridges so they don’t fall down like in Minnesota. Shelley’s for spending money for new roads and bridges too – in Iraq.

No. 4 – Anne graduated from West Virginia University and her daughters are now Mountaineers too. Shelley attended Duke University just like her daughter now. Duke, possibly the most evil school in the NCAA during basketball season, appropriately is represented by a Satanic symbol*.

No. 3 – West Virginia currently ranks 46** out of 50 in the Cutest Congressional Caucus Category. Anne’s election would singlehandledly put West Virginia in 1st Place.

No. 2 – Anne is for healthcare access for all. Shelley’s healthcare policy is healthcare for the rich, aspirins for everyone else.

No. 1 – Iraq.

Cross posted from West Virginia Blue

From an email:

Wow, what a great start for our campaign for Congress!

As you know, a top-notch Congressional campaign is an all-consuming undertaking for any candidate who is in it to win it. I promise you I have been working as hard as I have ever worked in my life to earn the support I’ve been getting from people like you. Together, we will give West Virginians in the 2nd Congressional District a stronger advocate in Washington. I’ve made visits to nearly all the counties in the broad 2nd District – many of them more than once – and I can tell you that there is a palpable excitement and energy for change. I’ve been meeting and talking with people in fire halls, community centers, senior centers, churches and private homes.

Over and over West Virginians tell me they have become disillusioned by years of Bush-Cheney policies that simply don’t reflect the needs of rural America in general, and working West Virginians in particular. It is your views, your ideas, your concerns – and your support – that continue to energize me and drive my campaign forward.

I wanted to take a moment to update you on the progress of our campaign to restore West Virginia values to the 2nd Congressional seat in Congress. The all-important FEC first quarter reporting period ended on March 31. Our filing will show that the campaign has collected just over $330,000 in contributions from people like you.

The first quarter reporting number is a critical barometer of a campaign’s vitality. We are setting very high expectations for our campaign, and so far we are meeting and exceeding them. We had six fundraising events around the state in the first quarter, including one that was hosted jointly by Senator Byrd, Senator Rockefeller, Congressman Rahall and Congressman Mollohan. I am so proud to have their support, which has provided such a boost to the campaign and to peoples’ confidence that Democrats are working hard to regain the seat. People from across the entire state have been mailing contributions to our campaign headquarters and donating with their credit cards on our website.

In addition to the support of the entire West Virginia Democratic delegation, the Anne Barth for Congress campaign has also received endorsements from a variety of organizations, including the West Virginia AFL-CIO, United Mine Workers, United Auto Workers, Communications Workers of America, the Southwestern District Labor Council, United Steelworkers, Teamsters, the West Virginia Education Association, the West Virginia Sheriff’s Association and the American Federation of Government Employees.

These organizations are a vital part of our communities, and I am honored to have them as friends and supporters. We expect more endorsements from organizations to be made public soon – and we’ll keep you posted.

Through all of this busy campaigning I have received a lot of good press, in small town weeklies, larger daily newspapers, and regional television stations. I have also appeared on radio stations across the district to get my message out, and continue to enjoy building relationships with members of our state media that the voters rely on in their communities to keep themselves informed and up-to-date on the issues.I was especially gratified to receive the endorsement this week of the state’s largest daily newspaper, the Charleston Gazette.

I have also participated in several Meet the Candidate events around the district, as well as forums and debates, with my primary opponents at West Virginia Wesleyan in Buckhannon and the Young Democrats Convention in Charleston. I enjoy these exchanges and look forward to debates with them at the Jefferson County League of Women Voters event on April 17 and the Berkeley County Democratic Association event on April 21.

Though I have many years of experience in the political realm, being a candidate is a new experience for me. I continue to learn more as I travel and meet with constituents. While serving in Sen. Byrd’s office for 21 years, I never lived in Washington, I always continued to live and work in the 2nd Congressional District, and that is one reason I am running – I understand the needs and concerns of the people of my home district. And I have learned from my experiences on Sen. Byrd’s staff how to get results for the people of West Virginia in Washington.

With your continued support and involvement, we can win in May – and again in November. Please stay in touch with our campaign, visit our website for updates at AnneBarthforCongress.com, volunteer when you can and make a contribution if you are able.

Change is coming for the people of West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, and together we are driving that momentum for change.

Thank you for your support and encouragement – and please keep in touch.

Barth is off to a tremendous start, especially considering she got into the quarter late. That’s got to be making Bush Republican Shelley Moore Capito nervous.

Jake Stump has the story in the Daily Mail:

Her campaign finances outpace those of her primary opponents. One of them, former South Charleston mayor Richie Robb, raised $2,475 from January to April, and has $10,835 cash on-hand, according to his latest filing with the Federal Election Commission.

A financial report for a third candidate, Thornton Cooper, was not available.

Political observers expected Barth, who entered the race after state Sen. John Unger dropped out right before the filing deadline, to have a tough time raising money because of her late start.

Incumbent Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., had $643,865 cash on-hand as of Jan. 1.

snip

“We have very high expectations for ourselves as a campaign, and we are meeting those marks,” said Ned Rose, chairman of the Barth campaign. “Our fellow West Virginians are also expressing their high expectations for Anne by contributing so generously. I can assure them all one thing — nobody will outwork Anne Barth. She is a tireless campaigner and a dynamic individual.”

The interesting thing will be whether campaign donors who’ve backed Capito in the past will continue to give, or if they’ll see she’s a lost cause. My guess is she’ll receive some contributions, but keep in mind she angered many of her fellow Republicans in 2006 by not contributing to other races. In fact, she was still holding fundraisers the weekend before the last election, a sure sign she was worried about Mike Callaghan. She ended up buying herself a landslide because Callaghan, among other flaws with his campaign, had run out of money and was unable to answer a last minute barrage of misleading attack ads from Capito. In addition to having a very focused campaign style, Barth is going to have enough money to go toe-to-toe against Capito at the end.

Posted Wednesday night at West Virginia Blue.

I went to the peace vigil in Shepherdstown tonight. Five years of the occupation already. Some have been at it since before the Iraq invasion and occupation.

The event was moved to O’Hurley’s General Store due to the rain.

I saw many familiar faces from other peace events and political campaigns and I saw new faces as well. There were about 80 people in all in the large room where music and dances are sometimes held.  

It was a good mix of young students from Shepherd College and gray-haired veterans of the Vietnam War and of Vietnam War protests.

It had been cooler during the day, but had warmed after the rain stopped and a fire in the stone fireplace had died down to smoking embers. On a wet day, the wood-smoke made the room seem cozier.

A good friend who I had traveled to Fairmont with to canvass in the last days of the 2004 Kerry-Edwards race was at the entrance collecting money for Central Asia Institute. We hugged and I made a donation and got a couple of sugar cookies and a cup of tea.

There were a pair of guitarists singing. Then I saw Anne Barth, our WV-02 candidate for Congress, standing in the back of the room. She greeted me warmly. She really is a very nice woman. I was surprised to see her there not because she’s not a strong advocate for peace, but because I hadn’t seen any announcement of her attendance. She was there not to politic but to show solidarity with the others who want to support the troops and bring them home from Iraq.

She hadn’t planned on speaking, but one of the singers asked between songs if she would say a few words. Barth kept it brief. She introduced herself and said she remembered the day when Senator Byrd spoke out against the war and how the fax machines buzzed with people agreeing with him and others opposed to him. (Read his speech here.) She said she still gets chills thinking of his speech when he was one of the few voices with the courage in Congress to speak out in opposition before the war.

“Senator Byrd was right,” Barth said and people applauded. “I want to end this war and bring our troops home.”

Barth said she wanted to go to Washington and join him in his efforts to bring the troops home.

“The troops have served honorably. It is time they were brought home,” she said.

When she finished to loud applause, two more singers, a young, college age woman and a grayhaired man did a lovely duet of John Lennon’s Imagine.

It was a good event, solemn yet friendly with people united in purpose.

Afterwards another canvassing partner, JBdem4usa, took me out and bought me a beer, Mountaineer Stout, just like he said he would.

Today, the DCCC unveiled the second wave of participants in its Red to Blue program.  The 13 beneficiaries are:

Kay Barnes (MO-06)

Anne Barth (WV-02)

Darcy Burner (WA-08)

Robert Daskas (NV-03)

Steven Driehaus (OH-01)

Jim Himes (CT-04)

Christine Jennings (FL-13)

Larry Kissell (NC-08)

Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24)

Eric Massa (NY-29)

Gary Peters (MI-09)

Mark Schauer (MI-07)

Dan Seals (IL-10)

There are few surprises here, but the committee’s stamp of approval given to replacement candidate Anne Barth, who is running against incumbent GOP Rep. Shelley Moore Capito in WV-02 seems indicative of the DCCC’s desire to bust open the 2008 playing field in a big way.