Former West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey says he’s running for Congress to fix what’s wrong in Washington.
Casey made his announcement in front of a large crowd of supporters Tuesday afternoon at the state capitol.
Casey, 59, says he decided to step from behind-the-scenes to the forefront because he has the support.
“I didn’t announce early to shut anyone out,” Casey said about a potentially crowded Democratic field in next year’s Primary Election. “But I announced early because my supporters were encouraging me to do so.”
Casey stuck with familiar themes during his formal announcement. He talked about getting rid of gridlock of Washington, improving infrastructure, coming up with a clear energy policy and helping create jobs.
“We can do it if we work together,” Casey said. “We’ve got the entire universe of West Virginia represented right here and we are all able to get along. When you get along and work together you can do great things.”
There were a number of influential Democrats on hand for the announcement including former state Senator Oshel Craigo and former House of Delegates Leader Joe Martin. A few Republicans were also there including Charleston Mayor Danny Jones. West Virginia AFL-CIO President Kenny Perdue was also in attendance.
A letter of support from U.S Sen. Joe Manchin was also read.
The 2014 Primary Election is expected to be busy in the Second District Race with longtime Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito already announcing her plans to run for U.S. Senate.
Casey, a Charleston attorney and CPA, ran the West Virginia Democratic Party during most of Joe Manchin’s six years as governor.