LEWISBURG —
Voters across southern West Virginia are in an ugly, anti-incumbent mood.
From Lewisburg to Huntington, people readily admit they’re mad. They’re angry at President Barack Obama’s efforts to curb large-scale surface coal mining. They upset about the struggling economy.
Sure, they concede that 17-term Rep. Nick Rahall and other incumbents didn’t necessarily cause those problems. But they want something different and say someone has to pay.
“I have made up my mind. I will not vote for any incumbent,” said Princeton resident Tom White.
The anti-incumbent attitude permeates the 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from the Ohio River Valley in the west, through West Virginia’s southern coalfields, to the Allegheny Mountains in the southeast.
Even Rahall concedes he’s facing a tougher contest than usual. In recent years, Rahall has faced token opposition and his seat was considered secure by the Democratic party.
Not so in 2010 — he’s facing Elliott “Spike” Maynard, a former Democrat who switched parties after losing his 2008 bid to be re-elected to the state Supreme Court.
“Nick is in trouble,” said Lewisburg resident John Humphreys. “I never dreamed I’d see that guy in trouble. I think it’s going to be close.”
Many in the district are simply fed up with the economy and government spending that never seems to filter down to their pockets. Unemployment in the 17-county district ranges from 6.8 percent in Monroe County to 12.2 in McDowell County, according to the latest county figures released by the state.
“They’re saying something has to be done,” said Jerry Eggleston, a retiree from Hinton. “First thing to do is try to get the economy fixed.”
Hinton is in Summers County where the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent in September.
Eggleston, too, believes Rahall is in trouble.
“I voted for him last time, but I can’t see it this time,” he said.
Maynard’s campaign has focused on the 3rd District economy and he’s done his best to label Rahall a lieutenant in what he calls the Obama administration’s war on coal. Maynard, who is backed by wealthy industry executives including Massey Energy Co. chief Don Blankenship, has flooded the airwaves with anti-Rahall ads aimed largely at making the election about coal.
Eight of the state’s top 10 coal-producing counties are located in the district and the message resonates with residents.
“We have to mine coal,” said Donna Gosney, who lives in Boone County, the state’s largest coal producing county. “Coal is survival.”
Gosney is a Republican and unequivocally supports Maynard.
“This is our opportunity to bring some help and bring hope into our part of the world,” she said.
Eggleston sees little hope in Hinton or the rest of Summers County, which doesn’t even have coal to fall back on. The county’s last underground mine closed in the 1980s. Many in Hinton relied on construction jobs in neighboring Raleigh County, but Eggleston says those dried up with the economy.
“There’s nowhere left to go,” he said.
Opposing Rahall, however, doesn’t necessarily equate to supporting Maynard.
Huntington resident Terry Bishop, for instance, wants to replace Rahall, but he’s unsure about Maynard.
“He’s (Rahall) been there too long,” said Bishop, an unemployed construction engineer. “He has to go.”
Bishop’s beef with Rahall stems from deficit spending. Rahall remains an unabashed fan of bringing million-dollar projects to his district, despite the deficit.
“It’s like a burr that got under my saddle,” Bishop said.
But Bishop says he’s concerned about Blankenship’s role in financing the Maynard campaign. Maynard lost his bid to be re-elected to the Supreme Court after photos showing him and Blankenship vacationing on the French Riviera surfaced. Massey had several cases before the court at the time.
“It’s more than an appearance of impropriety,” Bishop said.
Eggleston and others say they only know Maynard by reputation.
“I don’t know him,” said Roger Cox, who lives in the tiny McDowell County town of Davey and works as a 911 dispatcher in Welch. Then he adds, “I think Nick has a fight on his hands.”
West Virginia
Anti-incumbent attitude permeates 3rd Congressional District
- West Virginia
-
-
Man gets life sentence for ex-wife’s death
A man was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in the beating death of his ex-wife.
Thomas Charlie Lee Runner, 46, of Galloway, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Wednesday at the Barbour County Courthouse in Philippi. -
State campaign finance limits challenged in court
A political group formed to aid West Virginia incumbents this November won a partial victory Thursday after suing over the state’s limits on campaign contributions and a policy addressing corporate spending.
-
Relatives other than parents raising kids
Sharon Davis jumped in and obtained custody of her young grandson when her daughter got tangled in a web of drugs. A decade later, her daughter is straightened out and now has her own little girl, while her son remains with Davis.
-
Project aims to get West Virginians active
A new wellness project aims to motivate West Virginians to get off their couches and be healthy.
LiveWell West Virginia is a collaboration of the West Virginia University Extension Service and the Charleston Gazette. -
Missing girl’s mother gets eight months for welfare fraud
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the mother of a 3-year-old girl who vanished eight months ago this week to spend eight months behind bars for welfare fraud.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey ruled that Lena Lunsford must begin serving her sentence June 28. -
West Virginia seventh in death rates for accidents, violence
Drug overdoses and motor vehicle crashes helped push West Virginia’s death rate involving accidents and violence to the seventh-highest in the nation, according to a report on injury prevention released Tuesday.
-
W.Va. could add hurdles to primary ballot
West Virginia officials have several options if they want to avoid repeating an outcome of this month’s primary election, when imprisoned felon Keith Judd attracted nearly 41 percent of the vote against President Barack Obama.
-
W.Va. could add hurdles to primary ballot
West Virginia officials have several options if they want to avoid a repeat outcome of this month’s primary election, when imprisoned felon Keith Judd attracted nearly 41 percent of the vote against President Barack Obama.
-
Computers used to grade WESTEST essays
Thousands of essays written by West Virginia students are largely going unread by human eyes.
-
West Virginia coal mining employment at high level
State figures show that coal mining employment in West Virginia is at its highest level since the 1990s.
The Charleston Gazette says a recent analysis of Workforce West Virginia figures by Ted Boettner with the West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy shows there were nearly 22,700 mining jobs in 2011. - More West Virginia Headlines
-
Man gets life sentence for ex-wife’s death
