RIPLEY, W.Va. — In Jackson County, where Sen. Mitch Carmichael lives and keeps an office, his election challenger Brian Prim is winning the battle of the yard signs.
“In Jackson County, I have a lot of support from working people,” Prim said. “Senator Carmichael has done well in Putnam County.”
Indeed, across the district in Putnam County, where Prim has his law office, Carmichael’s signs dominate the roadsides.
“Putnam County is a more conservative, pro-business community,” Carmichael said. “This district will not want to be represented by that labor/trial lawyer personality.”
This mostly friendly election battle sharply divides the two candidates on a few factors — like the geography of where the candidates would expect to perform well.
It’s also attracting a lot of spending for a relatively rural area. That’s in part because Carmichael, as Senate majority leader, is the highest-ranking member remaining after the departures of Senate President Bill Cole and Minority Leader Jeff Kessler to do battle in the governor’s races of their parties.
And because Republicans hold a thin 18-16 majority, there’s a lot at stake. Ballotpedia calls the West Virginia Senate one of 20 legislative battleground chambers.
Carmichael, the Republican, wants to remain on the path of embracing tort reform, repealing prevailing wage and rolling out right-to-work.
Prim, the Democrat, wants to reverse course on those issues. He is a lawyer who represents plaintiffs in mesothelioma and lung cancer cases, and he believes the past two years of the Republican majority have undercut the rights of regular West Virginians.
“There’s not a clearer distinction between two candidates in any contest,” Carmichael said during a chat in his private office in Ripley. “It’s not only labor issues. It’s also the judicial reform. It’s the reason he’s running. I have a clear record of labor reform, judicial reform. It’s a clear distinction. It’s in the heart of a mid-Ohio Valley that needs jobs.
“Do you want to go back to the old way or continue on the new path?”
The clear distinction is one area where Prim agrees.
“Mitch and I get along pretty well. I probably get along with him better than a lot of people would like for me to. I think what he’s doing is totally wrong.”
Prim also agrees the race is one that could tip the balance and direction of the West Virginia Senate.
“This is absolutely the most crucial election they’ve ever faced,” he said of the voters in his district, which includes Jackson, Mason and parts of Putnam and Roane counties. “We do not see any evidence the assault on working families is going to stop if they (Republicans) retain control.”
Spending in the Carmichael and Prim race, along with several others, reflects what’s on the line.
The District 4 race has had $175,084.50 in contributions ($65,122 for Prim and $99,225 for Carmichael, with the rest going to Carmichael’s primary opponent).
Of that, $105,061 in spending has been reported — $62,325.24 for Carmichael and $33,864,88 for Prim, plus some spending by their primary opponents.
There’s also significant outside spending in the race. Prim is one of the Democratic candidates benefiting from spending by West Virginia Family Values, a political action committee largely funded by unions. The PAC reported raising $1,781,954.36 and spending $715,107.27 by the last campaign finance reporting period.
The fundraising and spending by the Carmichael and Prim campaigns puts the race fourth among West Virginia Senate races.
The most money is flowing in the District 17 race between incumbent Democrat Corey Palumbo and his challenger, Delegate Chris Stansbury, a Republican. In that Kanawha Valley race, a total of $276,659.29 has been raised with $117,614 being spent.
Palumbo, who is the leader in both fundraising and spending in the race, acknowledged on “580 Live” last Wednesday that much is on the line because the Senate could tip either way.
“Most of the races are fairly competitive and a lot of them could go either way. With a one-member difference it’s hard to predict how the Senate’s going to look come 2017,” Palumbo said.
The second most fundraising and spending is happening in the Eastern Panhandle, where Delegate Stephen Skinner, a Democrat, and Patricia Rucker, a Republican, are fighting for an open seat. The District 16 race has resulted in $267,426 in fundraising and $125,500.23 in spending, with Skinner leading in both.
Next is the District 8 race in the Kanawha Valley, where incumbent Chris Walters and challenger Glenn Jeffries have combined for $223,212.50 in fundraising and $133,187.60 in spending — with Jeffries leading in both.
One area where there seems to be a surprising amount of money flowing is District 14 — which is Barbour, part of Grant, Hardy, part of Mineral, part of Monongalia, Preston, Taylor and Tucker counties.
There, where incumbent Democrat Bob Williams is facing off against Republican Randy Smith, a two-term House member, $175,048.65 has been raised and $58,867.10 spent. Smith is leading in both.
Those numbers for fundraising and spending are based on filings with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office. All those figures are through the first campaign finance filing deadline at the end of September. Updated campaign finance reports are due this week.
“A few votes here or there can mean the difference between a new direction for West Virginia or a stalemate, the old way of doing things,” Carmichael said.
Despite the spending and the stakes, a stroll through the streets of Ripley or Ravenswood might not generate a lot of discussion about Mitch Carmichael or Brian Prim.
“If it has anything to do with the election, I don’t want any,” said the guy at the furniture and carpet store in Ravenswood.
“I don’t even vote, so that ain’t going to help you at all,” said the woman in the doorway of the coffee shop/gaming parlor down the street.
“I don’t care for Mitch Carmichael,” said a lady getting her hair done in a Ravenswood salon.
“I like Mitch Carmichael,” said a guy getting his hair cut in a Ripley barber shop. “I don’t know anything about his politics. He’s friendly. Always a happy-go-lucky guy.”
On one corner in Ravenswood, the group of women gathered on a porch were locked in on the race. It was the Jackson County Democratic Party headquarters.
“We have a lot of people who have put up big Prim signs, Republicans even who have asked for Prim information,” said Lucille Cox, president of the Jackson County Democratic Women.
She said prevailing wage and right-to-work are the main motivators for people who express an interest in the campaign.
Prim says he was motivated to get involved in politics after a bill that restricted asbestos cases like the ones he represents was considered, passed and signed by the governor in 2015.
Prim was among those lobbying for changes to the bill, which established legal standards and procedures for the handling of certain asbestos and silica claims. Trial lawyers said their existing asbestos case management system was already working and didn’t require legislative tinkering.
“We begged, we pleaded, we pulled every string we could pull,” Prim said. “There’s no question the majority are against us as trial lawyers.”
Last year, Prim was motivated by the passage of the right-to-work and prevailing wage bills. He contends that out-of-state forces are working behind the scenes to push such bills.
“I truly think someone brings this in and that was their agenda,” Prim said. “It’s not a union issue. The right-to-work bill is a labor issue. It will lower wages for all jobs. To me, it’s an attack on workers’ ability to organize. The prevailing wage bill is just as bad.”
Carmichael believes the tort reform and labor changes pursued over the past two years have put West Virginia on the path of economic growth.
“It’s a very clear choice for the voters. One way is the older way of doing things — it’s represented by the labor and trial lawyer mindset,” Carmichael said. “My mindset and the people who support me would be more pro business, pro economic growth, civil justice reform.
“It’s a clear choice for the voters, and I look forward to the election and seeing which way the voters would like to proceed.”
Early voting in West Virginia runs from Oct. 26 to Nov. 5.
Election Day is Nov. 8.