Some observations heading into Tuesday’s Primary Election

Some notes heading into tomorrow’s Primary Election:

–Incumbent 3rd District Congressman Nick Joe Rahall will win re-nomination, but it will be worth noting how many votes his much lesser known and under financed opponent Richard Ojeda gets. If Ojeda gets 20 to 30 percent of the Democratic and Independent vote, you can attribute that to his campaign effort, as well as the usual anti-incumbent vote. However, if Ojeda is closer to the 30 to 40 percent range, that will suggest a more serious level of voter dissatisfaction with Rahall that he has to overcome before the General Election showdown with Evan Jenkins.

–One of the most hard-fought and expensive statehouse races has been for the Democratic nomination for Senate in the 12th District (Harrison, Lewis, Braxton, Clay, Gilmer).  The Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram reports incumbent Sam Cann has raised over $117,000 and spent nearly $74,000, while Harrison County Commissioner Mike Romano, has raised just under $64,000, but spent $137,000.  The winner will face Republican Mike Queen in November.

–Name recognition almost always helps at election time, and West Virginia has had its share of candidates who have benefited from their father’s political success.  Republican Tom Azinger has decided to retire after representing Wood County in House of Delegates since 1994.  However, his son, Mike, is running for the seat.  The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reports that the candidate has signs posted that say simply “Azinger for the House,” which may lead voters to think they’re simply re-electing his father.

–Speaking of Wood County, former longtime Senator Republican Frank Deem is trying to return to Charleston. Deem, who turned 86 last March, has served a total of six terms in the Senate and six in the House representing Wood County, dating back to 1954.  This year, Deem is one of six Republicans running for three nominations in Wood County’s District 10.

–It appears the youngest candidate for a statehouse seat in this year’s election is Saira Blair.  The Hedgesville High School senior is just 17 years old—she turns 18 July 11th— but politics are in her blood.  Her father, Craig Blair, is a state Senator. Saira Blair is trying to unseat incumbent Republican Delegate Larry Kump in the 59th District (Berkeley, Morgan). The youngest person ever elected to the state Legislature is Larry Swan. The Charleston Republican was just 20 when elected in 1972.

–Voters may be turned off this Primary Election by the dearth of competitive races, at least for statehouse seats.  On the Senate side, of 34 races (Republican and Democratic nominations for each of 17 seats), just four are contested.  In the House, of the 134 races (Republican and Democratic nominations in 67 districts), only 39 are contested.

–The turnout is expected to be light, probably somewhere in the range of 20 to 25 percent, but what’s your prediction, not only on the turnout, but some of the races?  Also, our election coverage begins at 7:06 Tuesday night and you can follow the results on our website.

 





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