by Thomas Harding

The 2008 elections are approaching faster than we can possibly imagine. The great and the good are throwing their hats into the ring in increasing numbers. In the run-up to the primaries in May 08, and then for the general election in November this column will track the who’s who and the what’s what, as Jefferson County readies itself for that great American tradition, the ballot box rumble.

First things first. Who can run? Candidates for the 2008 West Virginian elections, must register with the Secretary of State between January 14 and January 26, 2008. In addition, those running for federal positions must file with the FEC if they spend or raise over $5,000.

It’s not yet January 26, so do we know who is running and for what? Not officially, but we have a good idea on some of the leading candidates. The following may well change, and is in no way comprehensive, but here’s our best guess about who is going to be in the running for the major positions.

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller is up for re-election. So far no one has come forward to challenge him, but someone probably will from the GOP.

Governor Manchin is up for re-election, few people seriously believe he is vulnerable, and it is unlikely that a serious candidate will oppose him.

Also up for re-election is U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore-Capito. The most likely person to run against Capito is West Virginian Sen. John Unger. He is endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) as well as both of the other West Virginia U.S. Representatives. But two others have talked about running against Unger in the primaries. One is Thornton Cooper, a former Public Service Commission Aide who has raised zero dollars for his campaign beyond his own pockets and has not yet registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Also rumored to be running is former mayor of South Charleston Richie Robb.

Secretary of State Betty Ireland has said she will not run again. Joe DeLong announced in spring 2007 that he wanted the position. He is the majority leader in the West Virginia  House. Also likely to announce is television personality Natalie Tennant, who ran for secretary of state in 2004. Another possible is Senate Majority Whip Billy Wayne Bailey, D-Wyoming.

And what about the attorney general? Current and four-term Attorney Gen. Darrell McGraw says he is running again, as does Republican challenger and Morgantown attorney Hiram Lewis. In 2004 Lewis lost to McGraw by only 5,000 votes. The gloves are off on this one.

In Jefferson County two county commission seats are becoming available in 2008. Rusty Morgan (Kabletown seat) has said he wants to run for State Senate (see below) and Greg Corliss (Harpers Ferry seat) has said he is not running for re-election. This will likely encourage a busy field. Already announced are Lyn Widmyer, a land planner in Montgomery County; Stephen Pace, who works for Unity Insurance; and Frank Kubic. Rumor has it that further possibles include perennial candidate Greg Lance, as well as Jefferson County Circuit Clerk Patsy Noland.

In the 16th District of the West Virginia Senate, John Yoder has said he intends to step down and run for Circuit Court (see below). This has made space for yet another busy field. Rusty Morgan, current Jefferson County commissioner, has said he wants to run for this job, as does Bob Adams, who at first signed up to run for governor. Also announced are Ron Moltere, a councilman in Bolivar, and Herb Snyder, who held the seat in 2004 before losing it to Yoder.

All of the local West Virginia delegates are again up for election, and all three, John Doyle, Locke Wysong, and Bobb Tabb, have said they will run again. So far, little has been heard from anyone wishing to challenge them. According to Anne Dungan, chair of Jefferson County GOP,  “we are working on finding people to run in all the seats but we are not ready to announce quite yet.”

Also opening up in 2008 are two Supreme Court of Appeals positions. Justice “Spike” Maynard says he wants to run again, while Justice Larry Starcher says he does not. Beth Walker has thrown her hat in the ring, Walker is a partner in the Charleston office of Bowles Rice, McDavid, Graff & Love and has practiced law in West Virginia for 17 years.

Sheriff of Jefferson County Ed Boober has reached the end of his term. Many candidates have put their name forward so far, Bobby Shirley, Jay Watson, Louis Brunswick, Bernard Parish, and, rumor has it, Jerry Koogle.

Finally, Judge Thomas Steptoe has said he will step down from the 23rd Circuit Court. John Yoder has said he wants to run for this position. Meanwhile, Judge David Sanders and Judge Gina Groh have both said they will run for re-election.