Election 2008 Shorts

• Gov. Joe Manchin told an Eastern Panhandle audience late last week that "he will not endorse either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama to be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee before West Virginia's primary election, which is less than three weeks away," the Herald-Mail of Hagerstown (Md.) reports. With video.

• The Associated Press reports that a record number of voters have registered in advance of the May 13 primary, offering details from the numbers.

• AP also reports on Barack Obama winning the endorsement of West Virginia elder statesman Ken Hechler.

• I either missed this or have since forgotten about it, but Survey USA polled 617 West Virginians in February about potential presidential match-ups. The results, admittedly dated, had Clinton beating McCain, 47% to 42%, but not outside the margin of error. It also had McCain trouncing Obama, 53% to 35%. The survey breaks down responses by party, ideology, gender, age, region, race and income.