According to a new survey by the Democratic-affiliated Public Policy Polling, tomorrow's gubernatorial special election in West Virginia is too close to call. Democrat and Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin currently leads Republican Businessman Bill Maloney by just one point (47% - 46%), down from a 6 point lead a month ago and a whopping 33 point lead early in the year.

Read more »

Now that Congressman Bob Turner (R-New York) has been sworn in on Capitol Hill, national attention is turning to the October 4 special election in West Virginia. Acting Governor and career politician Earl Ray Tomblin (D), who took office when former Governor Joe Manchin moved up to the US Senate, is running for a term of his own against conservative businessman Bill Maloney (R). Sound familiar?

Read more »

The federal investigation of West Virginia Governor and Democratic Senate candidate Joe Manchin's administration is spreading but still not all the way to the mainstream media. What began in August with subpoenas issued in connection with the state's Department of Highways has grown as more subpoenas have been issued for West Virginia's Aviation Division director along with flight logs and records for official government aircraft. (source)

Read more »

If the predicted tidal wave of Republican victories takes place on November 2, there will still be two months between the elections and the swearing in of new lawmakers during which the current Congress can and most likely will try to push through more unpopular and unaffordable legislation. Representative Tom Price (R-Georgia) offered a resolution in July that would have cancelled that so-called lame duck session, calling for Congress not to assemble on or between November 2, 2010 and January 3, 2011 except in the case of an emergency requiring immediate action. It cites reasons including the 111th Congress' loss of the public's trust "by engaging in unprecedented political procedures to advance a partisan agenda." Not surprisingly, Democrats defeated that resolution.

Read more »

West Virginia Governor and Democratic Senate candidate Joe Manchin supported the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) before it passed. He's on video at a union event both praising and defending President Barack Obama and clearly stating "I am totally behind Health Care Reform." He was still in favor of Obamacare after it was pushed through Congress while the majority of Americans and West Virginians were against it. But now that he's facing the possibility of losing his Senate bid because voters believe he would be nothing more than a rubber stamp for the unpopular Obama agenda, Candidate Manchin is suddenly in favor of repealing at least some of the new law.

Read more »