The deadline for filing candidacy papers for the May 8th West Virginia Primary Election is tomorrow and the field for various races is becoming clear. In the Presidential race, GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney has filed along with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Tea Party favorite Ron Paul. As of the last report, former Senator Rick Santorum has not filed. On the Democrat side, President Barack Obama has filed along with Keith Judd, a little known candidate from Texas.
Senator Joe Manchin has filed to run for a full six year term, going up against former Del. Sheirl Fletcher for the Democrat nomination. Manchin’s opponent in last year’s special election, John R. Raese has also filed, setting up a potential rematch.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin has filed in the race for Governor as the only Democrat filing so far. On the Republican side, Ralph Clark of Morgantown has filed. Tomblin’s Republican challenger in the special election last year, Bill Maloney, filed his candidacy papers for the governor on Thursday, setting up another likely rematch in the upcoming general election in November.
In Congressional races incumbent 1st District Republican David McKinley has filed for re-election in the 1st District. Sue Thorn, from Wheeling, has filed in the 1st District for the Democratic nomination. Dugald Brown of Martinsburg, William McCann of Kearneysville and Howard Swint of Charleston have all filed for the Democratic nomination in the 2nd District. Delegate Jonathan Miller of Inwood has filed on the Republican side. He will likely be pitted against incumbent Representative Shelley Moore Capito in the 2nd District, who filed today.
Bill Lester of Beckley and Lee Bias of Barboursville have filed for the GOP nomination in the 3rd District to run against Representative Nick Joe Rahall. Like McKinley, Rahall is expected to file for re-election.
Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, Treasurer John Perdue, Auditor Glen Gainer and Attorney General Darrell McGraw have all filed for re-election. Larry Faircloth will challenge Gainer for the Auditor’s office.
State Senator Walt Helmick will run for Commissioner of Agriculture. Longtime Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass has decided to retire.
Letitia “Tish” Chafin, Greenbrier County Judge Jim Rowe, Wood County Judge J.D. Beane, John Yoder and incumbent Justice Robin Davis are running for the two seats open on the West Virginia Supreme Court. Justice Tom McHugh is not running for re-election. The top two vote-getters will get the nod for the two seats.