30 January 2010

Clock Ticking for W.Va. Candidates to File

Nearly 375 West Virginians had filed candidacy papers with the secretary of state by Friday seeking various offices on the 2010 ballot. Forty-six of them filed that day, a number matched only when the filing period opened Jan. 11.

All filings must be handed in or postmarked by midnight, and the nearing deadline has spurred various reports about who may be in or out of the running:

  • Former Marshall University football coach Bob Pruett tells the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington that he "will not run for West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District seat." Pruett said "he has talked to incumbent Democrat Nick Rahall about the issues facing the district, and that Rahall has assured him they share a similar vision."
  • The Associated Press reports that former state Supreme Court Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard has bolted from the Democratic Party after holding office for three decades under its banner. More than a year after losing his 2008 re-election bid, Maynard switched to the GOP in November. "Recent polling has sought to measure Maynard's chances against U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall," AP notes.
  • State Sen. Mike Oliverio "acknowledged" to The Intelligencer that he may challenge U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-1st, in their party's May primary. The Monongalia County lawmaker told the newspaper and AP that he does not plan to seek another term in the Legislature.
  • Daniel Scott Swisher had reported raising around $1,200 from contributors for a GOP bid against Mollohan, but had not been among the six Republicans to file with the secretary of state. The Wheeling newspaper reports on his Friday decision to end his campaign, endorsing GOP challenger David McKinley.

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