–The race for Democratic nomination for Agriculture Commissioner has drawn a lot of attention during the Primary Election campaign, mostly because long-time Commissioner Gus Douglas is NOT running and there is a dearth of other statewide races. The state Department of Agriculture is actually one of the larger divisions of the executive branch. It oversees livestock and poultry health and testing, meat and poultry inspection, plant and pest control and farmland preservation and conservation, just to name a few of its responsibilities. The Ag Department budget is over $50 million, roughly equal to the Auditor’s, Secretary of State’s and Attorney General’s budgets combined.
–Democratic Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Republican Bill Maloney will each win their party’s nomination easily Tuesday. That sets up a rematch of last year’s Special Gubernatorial Election that Tomblin won by just 7,700 votes. Take a look at the results map from that election and you’ll see how the two essentially split the state in half last time, with Tomblin taking all the south and central regions and Maloney getting most of his support in the north and east.
–Here is some information from Patti Hamilton, executive director of the West Virginia Association of Counties, about some of the local races in Tuesday’s primary:
27 incumbent assessors are unopposed, 18 incumbent assessors have opposition (either in the primary or general or both), and nine assessor seats are open.
29 incumbent county prosecutors are unopposed, 18 incumbents have opposition (either in the primary or general or both), and eight seats are open.
There are 30 open seats in county sheriff races, 20 incumbents have opposition (either in the primary or general or both), and five incumbents are unopposed.
43 incumbent county commissioners have opposition (either in the primary or general or both), 11 seats are open, and four commissioners are unopposed.
–WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck is making the inevitable short lists of possible candidates to take over as AD at Stanford now that Bob Bowlsby has left to become commissioner of the Big 12 Conference. Luck added to the speculation when he told a reporter who asked him about his possible interest, “I have no comment on it.” That’s different from when Luck was asked if he were interested in the Big 12 commissioner’s job and he said simply “no.” Luck’s son, Andrew, is graduating from Stanford, but he still has a daughter, Mary Ellen, who is a student there and a member of the Stanford volleyball team. Media reports say another possible candidate is Condoleezza Rice. The former Secretary of State is a Stanford professor and an avid sports fan.
–We have had several reminders recently of the dangers faced by law enforcement officers. Trooper Andrew Loudin continues to recover after being shot in the chest last week in Elkins by a suspect in a child abuse case. Additionally, a federal judge sentenced three people for their roles in protecting Charles Smith, who shot and killed U.S. Marshall Derek Hotsinpiller last year. Smith also died in the shoot out. And it was learned last week that prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Jarod Green, the drunk driver who smashed his vehicle into a Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department cruiser earlier this year, killing Deputy Todd May.
–“The Life of Julia” slide show on President Barack Obama’s campaign website is ripe for ridicule, but all voters should take a hard look at it. The presentation, which details government assistance available for the fictional Julia from cradle to grave, should serve as a defining image of the President’s vision for America. Take a look for yourself and decide if this is how you see the country.
–Metronews will provide complete coverage of tomorrow’s Primary Election in West Virginia. Our live continuous coverage will begin at 7:06 p.m. on many Metronews stations. Additionally, you can follow the statewide races, House of Delegates and state Senate races at our website wvmetronews.com
–And finally, in the interest of full disclosure, my wife and I have donated $2000 to John Raese’s senate campaign. I’ve contributed to Raese’s campaigns before and it’s always a tricky proposition in my business as a talk show host and an opinion writer. Raese owns the company I have worked for all my adult life (West Virginia Radio), and has been a loyal friend for 35 years. I see the contribution as a way of expressing my own loyalty in return to a man I admire and appreciate. I’ll still talk about the Raese-Manchin race on Talkline, and maybe write about it occasionally, and I’ll still try to be fair, but certainly understand those of you who will reasonably question my objectivity in that race.