Benjamin Beats McGraw For WV High Court

WCHS-TV Charleston has the story: Republican Brent Benjamin wins a record-setting victory over Democrat incumbent Darrel McGraw! Benjamin supporters statewide are breathing a collective sigh of relief. More on this story at DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS.

Benjamin Gaining On McGraw In Supreme Court Race

MSNBC just showed Republican Brent Benjamin winning over incumbent Democrat Warren McGraw in the Supreme Court Justice race 53% to 47%, with 49% of the vote counted. This was a very hotly contested race. These are TWELVE YEAR terms and the stakes are high.

McGraw is accused by his critics of allowing a convicted child molester get a job as an elementary school janitor (which was later blocked), and of using his brother, Attorney General Darrel McGraw, to campaign for him. Benjamin, the challenger, is criticized for having too little experience for the job.

More on McGraw and this race at DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS.

Record Turnout In Putnam County WV

Remember this morning when I showed you the voters lined up to vote where I live in Putnam County, WV? We had a record 74% of registered voters get out and do their civic duty. There are some very involved citizens in my county, I am so glad to say.

WaPo: Rep. Nick Rahall Re-Elected

The WaPo is calling the southern West Virginia Representative race for Democratic incumbent Nick Rahall. From the lack of support I saw for Rick Snuffer, the challenger, in Raleigh County, heart of this district, I am not surprised. I did note that there was very little activity at Rahall's Beckley office (yes, I did go by there tonight--too many counties, sigh).

2nd Dist. GOP Rep Shelley Moore Capito Holds Seat

According to the local Charleston news, Shelley Moore Capito wins re-election as 2nd District Representative with 55% of the vote, to challenger Erik Wells’ 44%. This was predicted earlier at my blog, DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS. More to come…

WV UPDATE

FIRST: Based on exit polling, West Viriginia has been called for Bush, and Joe Manchin III should be our next governor. The Nick Rahall/Rick Snuffer House race has not been called. Shelley Moore Capito is looking like she will hold her seat, based on exit polling.

A friend I took a trip covering eight of the most populated and contested counties in West Virigina: Cabell, Putnam, Kanawha, Logan, Boone, Lincoln, Raleigh, and Fayette. I am so sorry not to have blogged this afternoon, but the speed of the trip and the COMPLETE LACK of Internet or cell phone access in many of these counties prevented it. For a complete report on my 8-county trip, visit my blog, DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS.

One thing that we saw in all of these counties was that, after an initial surge early in the morning, there was rather slim voter turnout most of the day. (Kanawha County is perhaps an exception.) Also, most of the voters we saw were 30s and up; almost no young voters were seen at the polling places. The young vote Democrats were counting on in West Virginia simply did not materialize.

Looks Like High Turnout in WV

Greetings again from beautiful central West Virginia! I visited several polling places around 8:00 EST this morning, and turnout was high. Lines were often out in the street, as they were at this Hurricane, WV poll:

138,000 West Virginians have already early-voted; that is 12% of our registered vote. This bodes an extremely high turnout. Melody Bias, the Kanawha County poll clerk I interviewed for DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS last night, said that she expects upward of 75% of registered vote turnout, one of the highest she's seen in over 10 years as a poll worker.

Beautiful Election Morning in Central WV

The Election Day morning weather is beautiful here near the capitol city of Charleston: blue sky, high clouds and 53 degrees Fahrenheit. A lovely day for exercising one’s civic duty. More DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS coverage to come; keep your browser right here at Command Post for the latest!

Key Races In Swing-State West Virginia

Election coverage of "wild, wonderful" West Virginia is brought to you by DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS: Worldviews Behind The News. Following my news pieces posted here at the Command Post, there will be opinion and analysis over at DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS. Things are going to be heating up tomorrow, so be sure to find that RELOAD button; you'll need it!

The weather for tomorrow is expected to the party cloudy, with some rain around noon, providing only a minor inconvenience for voters. Since the largest turnout is usually seen in the morning and evening, turnout may not be affected.

PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST
West Virginia is considered by most to be a swing state. Both presidential candidates have visited the state a record number of times, although only the vice-presidential candidates have visited recently. State polls have been quite unstable lately, but as WV Kerry campaign spokeswoman Amy Shuler Goodwin said, "It's hard to trust the polls that show Bush ahead because some likely voters, particularly young voters, are hard to reach by telephone." In the same article, The Charleston Daily Mail recorded Bush spokeswoman Mary Diamond as saying the election will come down to grass-roots efforts and making sure supporters get out to the polls. In Putnam County, Republican HQ workers I talked to were also concerned with reaching voters by telephone, as cellular phones cannot be called by get-out-the-vote campaigns.

GOVERNOR
Present West Virginia Governor Bob Wise is not running for re-election, but instead is campaigning for his Secretary of State, Joe Manchin III, who is the Democrat candidate for governor and favored by the polls to win. The campaign of the Republican candidate, former Army Col. Monty Warner, has been criticized by the Bush camp for printing "Bush / Warner" joint campaign signs. While the signs were legal, the Bush campaign said the Warner campaign did not get authorization to use the President's name on their yard signs.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Incumbent Republican representative Shelley Moore Capito is expected to win easily over her Democrat challenger, political newcomer Erik Wells. Wells has gained some name recognition from the negative nature of his attacks, some of which were later proven to have little basis in fact.

In the southern congressional district, incumbent Democrat Nick Rahall is facing a tough challenge from Republican pastor, businessman, and RNC delegate Rick Snuffer. Rahall is criticized by Republicans for his connections to Yasser Arafat and his ardent opposition to pro-Israeli legislation. In a recent radio interview with WVHU-AM's Tom Roten, Snuffer said that such a stance as Rahall's is not representative of the views of Southern West Virginians. Rahall was elected to Congress in 1976, and currently serves on the Committee on Resources and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

STATEWIDE QUESTION
Only one statewide question is on the ballot, a proposed admendment to West Viriginia's constitution to provide a tax for bonuses and death benefits to veterans of recent wars. Supported by Governor Wise and veterans' groups, the bond issue is expected to pass, creating a new tax in West Virginia.

COMING UP TODAY AND TOMORROW
Coming up from DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS' West Virginia Election Coverage here at the Command Post 2004 Election blog:

• An exclusive interview with Kanawha County poll workers about the connection between provisional ballots and voter fraud;
• Photoblogging from Putnam, Cabell, Kanawha, Logan, Lincoln, and Raleigh counties;
• The vitriolic state Supreme Court race;
• Impact of early voting in West Virginia.

(This entry has been cross-posted at the DOUBLE TOOTHPICKS weblog.)