Election Thoughts

First thought. Congratulations to the Mineral County Republican Executive Committee, Potomac Highlands Patriots Tea Party, volunteers, and candidates. This was a huge amount of effort that resulted in a conservative sweep in Mineral County. Great job, folks!

Mineral County's closest race was between Gary Howell and Charles Messick. Howell won by about ten percentage points. Richard "Doc" Lechliter defeated Wayne Spiggle for county commission by about twelve points. The other Mineral County numbers and percentages were much, much higher.

Thank you Lauren Ellifritz, Mineral County Clerk. Last night we saw that there was a very heavy turnout. Her staff, helped by Rose Ann Maine, Mary Margaret Rinehart, Janice LaRue, Cindy Pyles, and others made the election night go very, very smoothly. Thanks again, Lauren and everyone else!

Thank you to all the volunteers who got almost all the signs up last night. Some people do not mind them, but to other citizens they are an imposition that they tolerate becauseof the season. Getting the signs up quickly ensures that we retain their goodwill.

The narrow John Raese defeat, if seen from August, should be considered a Republican victory of sorts. Joe Manchin successfully deflected the message of the race away from his pro Obama statements and towards Raese himself and the Republican campaign. That is why he ultimately won. That all being said, who would have predicted that this race would have gotten this close three months ago?

Across the state, we saw some legislative setbacks. Craig Blair, a well known GOP figure, may have lost in his bid to jump from the House of Delegates to the State Senate in the Eastern Panhandle. The race is still statistically 50-50 with the mercurial John Unger leading by a few hundred votes. Mitch Carmichael's delegate race was much closer than it ought to have been in a district that is mostly Jackson County, but at this point he looks to have won. Former delegate Debbie Stevens was unable to regain the 46th from incumbent Stan Shaver. Republicans also failed to do well in the 57th and 58th districts in Jefferson County. Republicans certainly did better across the state in areas where they have not enjoyed success for some time. Over the next two years, the party needs to focus on local committees and get them up to the fight in every single county. Gary Howell's brief tenure as Mineral County chair demonstrated what can be done on the local level. Thousands of voter guides were distributed on foot and through the newspapers. Door to door walks were done on behalf of several candidates. The committee organized sign distribution and pick ups in a systematic fashion. Unopposed candidates, such as Krista Dixon and Lauren Ellifritz, remained involved throughout the fall with party functions. This is evidence of what can be done by the committees across the state.

Also do not forget the Tea Party. They held dinners and had some of the largest Tea Party rallies in the entire state. They participated in candidate walks. They raised money and paid for billboards in Keyser and the northern part of the county. Their activity was an essential part of victory last night for Republicans in this county. It could not have been done without their work and support. When Tea Parties and Republicans get behind good candidates instead of sniping at each other, they can do great things. The Tea Party brought people into politics who might otherwise have not been involved. Republicans need to recognize how essential the Tea Party movement has been and follow through on promises made to fight for smaller government and the expansion of freedom.

David McKinley, barring any surprise in any recount, seems to have won a slender victory over Mike Oliverio. This was a seat held by Democrats for a very long time. It reflects frustration with federal anti-mining and industrial policies combined with the growing affluence of Morgantown and Fairmont. McKinley is the star of the moment and the biggest success of this election, so long as Democratic lawyers don't find a way to steal the victory from him.

So both locally and across the state, we have a lot of work to do. Election day may be closer than we think. There is a chance of having a special gubernatorial election early next year. In any event, 2012 is closer than we think.