W.Va. GOP Again Picks Abernathy for Exec. Dir.

Gary Abernathy is again executive director of West Virginia's Republican Party, returning to a post "that found him in a storm of controversy four years ago with the Warner family," The Register-Herald of Beckley reports.

State GOP Chairman Doug McKinney said Abernathy's duties include raising money, The Associated Press reports. AP notes that the party's latest filing shows "$20,015 in its federal account, compared to the Democratic Party's balance of $279,528."

A longtime political consultant, Abernathy's clients during the most recent election cycle included presidential candidate Fred Thompson, GOP nominee for governor Russ Weeks and state Senate hopefuls Gary Howell and Bob Adams.

But not all state Republicans appear pleased by the hiring.