Election 2008 Roundup (Updated)

• The Associated Press' broadcast members held weekend forums in the races for attorney general (only Dan Greear showed up), secretary of state and Supreme Court. Public Broadcasting aired each one.

• AP also follows up on the Supreme Court debate with a look at the loosening of free speech limits for judicial candidates.

• Disgraced former state Senate President Larry Tucker, D-Nicholas, is back on the ballot in his home county, The Charleston Gazette reports. Tucker is running for county commission, nearly 20 years after he "was forced to resign by federal prosecutors and pleaded guilty to extorting a bribe from a racetrack lobbyist.

• With Democrats now allowing unaffiliated voters into their May 13 primary, AP's Tom Breen reports on that party's invitations to this 151,000-member bloc. "Playing heavily on the excitement over the contest between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the invitations remind unaffiliated voters that 'The presidential race is still undecided. Republicans have already chosen their candidate,'" the article said.

• Public Broadcasting has audio and a transcript from a recent debate of the candidates in the state's 2nd Congressional District race.

• AP had this story over the weekend on the role coal is playing in the presidential race for such states as West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Illinois.

• (Updated) The Charleston Daily Mail consults with Larry Sabato, the Cook Political Report and others to handicap a possible Capito-Barth matchup in the 2nd Congressional District race.