Normally this time of year we would be talking and writing a lot about the upcoming election. The West Virginia Primary is just 55 days away. County clerks will begin mailing absentee ballots to voters within a few days.
There are some legitimate questions about whether this election can be carried out normally because of the coronavirus, and Secretary of State Mac Warner’s office is working on that. We should know more shortly.
But in the meantime, the campaigns continue.
Well, not all campaigns. Governor Jim Justice announced earlier this week that he’s “suspending all public events and fundraisers for his re-election campaign as a result of the evolving concerns over the novel coronavirus.”
A release from the Justice’s campaign said, “The campaign is using other methods to contact and reach voters that does not include person to person contact.”
That makes perfect sense for Justice. As the chief executive, his job is to lead the state’s response to the virus. A fundraiser or a campaign rally would be inappropriate and open him up to heavy criticism.
Meanwhile, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Ben Salango has had a big week. The state AFL-CIO voted to endorse him. “West Virginia’s next Governor must have a true commitment and dedication to protecting West Virginia’s working families, and that’s why we are proud to endorse Ben Salango,” said WV AFL-CIO President Josh Sword.
Salango has already promised that, if elected, he would work to reinstate prevailing wage, which is an important issue for labor.
Salango also received the endorsement of Senator Joe Manchin. “I believe Ben is the one person who can bring us all together to get things done,” Manchin said, who was instrumental in encouraging Salango to run.
This endorsement completes the political cycle for Manchin and Justice. Manchin enthusiastically backed Justice in 2016, but then Justice switched to the Republican Party and fired Manchin’s wife, Gayle, from her position as Secretary of Education and the Arts.
Manchin has since been highly critical of Justice and even considered running against him before deciding instead to help recruit a candidate.
Manchin’s endorsement triggered an angry response from Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Senator Ron Stollings, who questioned the timing of the announcement. “Right now, we all need to look after each other and get through this health care and economic crisis,” said Stollings, who is also a medical doctor.
“Apparently one must be a millionaire to get Joe Manchin’s support for Governor,” Stollings said. “He backed billionaire Jim Justice four years ago and now, he’s supporting millionaire Ben Salango.”
These are noteworthy developments in the 2020 Governor’s race in West Virginia, but they’re happening while nearly everyone throughout the state is concerned about the impacts of COVID-19.
The traditional challenge for political candidates is to convince voters to support them. But now the first hurdle is just getting people to pay attention to politics during this extraordinary time.