GOP worries Blankenship surge will cost party W. Va. Senate seat
By Jordain Carney - 04/07/18 12:17 PM EDT
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A former coal CEO’s post-prison rise is scrambling the GOP battle to unseat Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.).
Don Blankenship, released from jail less than a year ago, now appears to be within striking distance of the party’s nomination.
Strategists — and even his primary opponents — acknowledge he’s managed to turn an expected showdown between Rep. Evan Jenkins (W.Va.) and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey into a three-way fight with roughly a month to go until the May 8 primary election.
“It is a weird little race right now, [but] it’s looking like a legitimate three-person race,†said a national GOP strategist who is monitoring the Senate fight.
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http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/382030-gop-worries-blankenship-surge-will-cost-party-w-va-senate-seat