Rocky Hits The Campaign Circuit

Incumbents seeking re-election, they say, fare best when they either run unopposed or run scared.

Perhaps mindful of that adage, U.S. Sen. Jay Rockeller, D-W.Va., criss-crossed the state last week to launch his bid for a fifth term.

"I don’t want to sound schmaltzy,’’ Rockefeller told The Associated Press' Tom Breen . ‘‘I’ve been here for 44 years. West Virginia completely changed my life."

Breen also reports that "Although there’s plenty of time left to field a candidate, no Republican has stepped forward to challenge the state’s junior senator, and the GOP’s state chairman thinks it’s unlikely that will change."

Among some of Rockefeller's other newsroom stops last week:

• The Register-Herald of Beckley;

• The Charleston Daily Mail;

• The Charleston Gazette, which also spoke to wife Sharon and offers audio from the Q & A;

• The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, which also offers video from its interview;

• The Journal of Martinsburg;

• The Weirton Daily Times.