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The GOP gubernatorial primary: That’s just racin’

West Virginia State Senate President Bill Cole got to drop the green flag at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday night, signaling the start of the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. A few hours and 400 laps later, Carl Edwards crossed the finish line first.

Cole could be a casual observer and just enjoy the race, but when he returned to West Virginia a different kind of race confronted him, one where he is a key player and parameters are less well defined than a NASCAR event.

Cole, 1st District Congressman David McKinley and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey continue their shuffle to see who among them will emerge as the Republican candidate for governor in 2016. Despite a series of phone calls and face-to-face meetings—though all three have yet to meet together at one time—there is still no resolution.

Each has taken a turn cautiously upping the ante.

Morrisey mounted a serious fundraising drive before announcig last month that he had raised $550,000 (including a $250,000 personal loan), signaling to the other potential competitors that he is a viable candidate.

Cole filed pre-candidacy papers this month for 2016. He did not specify for what office, but his interest in the governor’s race has intensified in recent months. He has set a deadline for a few weeks from now to make a final decision.

McKinley threw down the gauntlet during an interview on Metronews “Talkline” last week, saying he’s “not intimidated” by the other two. He says that while he wanted to avoid a “bloodbath in a very contested primary,” he wouldn’t back down just because one or both of the other candidates got in the race.

McKinley has also been touting a poll, which he says gives him the best chance of winning. “We see the poll numbers,” McKinley said. “I don’t want to thump my chest (but) we have tried to help people all over the 1st District of West Virginia and I think it’s showing up in some of the poll numbers.” McKinley has not released that poll publicly.

Meanwhile, the state’s top Republican, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, is talking with each of the three, trying to provide guidance without interfering. Capito is refusing to play the role of kingmaker, probably because she knows there’s more to lose than gain.

If Capito anointed a candidate, she immediately creates hard feelings among the other two and their supporters.  Additionally, if the chosen candidate loses the general election, Capito would share in the blame.

In NASCAR, the drivers shuffle for position with the occasional bump, but usually no specific intent to wreck the other guy. “That’s just racin’,” as they say. And that’s how the jockeying for position among Cole, McKinley and Morrisey has gone so far.





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