'Dead aim' ad: Rifle-toting Senate hopeful blasts hole in cap-and-trade
If there鈥檚 any doubt that West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin is trying hard to convince voters that he鈥檚 not a typical Democrat, just look at the from his Senate campaign.
Governor Manchin, dressed for hunting, strides through the woods as he loads his rifle. 鈥淎s your senator, I鈥檒l protect our Second Amendment rights,鈥� he tells voters, adding that he鈥檒l take on 鈥渢his administration,鈥� repeal 鈥渢he bad parts of Obamacare,鈥� and reminding them that he sued the Environmental Protection Agency. At the end, he takes aim 鈥� literally 鈥� at the cap and trade bill, firing a shot through the legislation.
While West Virginia hasn鈥檛 been getting as much attention as states like Nevada or Illinois, it鈥檚 a crucial one for any Republican hopes to regain control of the Senate. And the 鈥� there haven鈥檛 been many 鈥� show Manchin trailing Republican candidate John Raese by 6 points.
This in a state that still sees itself as 鈥淒emocratic鈥� 鈥� and has elected almost exclusively Democrats to Congress, Senate, and the governor鈥檚 seat since the Great Depression. This election is to replace Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, who was the longest-serving member of Congress until he died earlier this year.
But in the last three presidential elections, the state has voted Republican, and there are other signs that it may be the last of the Southern states to turn red. Voters may still self-identify as Democrats, and are strongly pro-union and anti-free trade, but many of the big issues they care about 鈥� guns, coal, reduced government spending 鈥� are the purview of the Republicans.
It鈥檚 a schizophrenic political identity that is evident in both the Senate race and in the state鈥檚 First Congressional District, where incumbent Alan Mollohan lost in the May Democratic primary to Mike Oliverio, a pro-gun, anti-abortion candidate, in a sign of anti-Washington emotions. Now Mr. Oliverio is fighting for his life against the Republican challenger, David McKinley, in the general election.
Manchin is doing everything he can to remind voters that he鈥檚 a conservative Democrat who cares about the issues they do, even as Mr. Raese tries to paint him as a 鈥渞ubber stamp鈥� for President Obama, who is deeply unpopular in the state. Manchin was expected to coast to victory, and in July had a 16-point lead in the polls. But anger against Mr. Obama seems largely responsible for his precipitous drop in popularity.
Still, Manchin was handed a gift of sorts in a Raese ad that aired last week. In it, West Virginia voters are shown saying that Manchin should 鈥渟tay right here in West Virginia.鈥� Except that the men turned out to be Philadelphia actors who answered a casting call for actors with a 鈥渉icky, blue collars look鈥� and encouraged them to wear 鈥�John Deer鈥� hats.
Raese鈥檚 campaign pulled the ad and pointed out that the casting company, not the campaign, was responsible for the wording 鈥� and that ads from both parties often use hired actors 鈥� but Manchin has lost no time highlighting the fumble in an .
鈥淛ohn Raese thinks we鈥檙e hicks,鈥� his spot says, adding that Raese moved his family to Florida 鈥渢o avoid paying West Virginia taxes" and that, "obviously, we鈥檙e not good enough for him.鈥�
