Primaries May 8, 2018

[LauraTXNM]

@Hoodat @mountaineer  There are actually like 600,000 registered Dems and 300,000 registered Reps in WV, aren't there?

[LauraTXNM]

@mountaineer  Does WV have a sore loser law to prevent Blankenship running as an independent?

[Fishrrman]

Can the WV primary be won with a plurality?
Or -- if no candidate gets 50%+1 -- is there a runoff?

[mountaineer]

Interesting race in Ohio for governor.  On the R side, Mike Dewine beat Lt Gov Mary Taylor.  Dewine called Taylor a career politician.  Pardon? How long has he suckled at the gubmint test? On the Dem side, former Obama administration official Richard Cordray defeated several contenders, including Dennis Kucinich. Now Gov. Kasich can focus on saving America from conservatives. 

[endicom]

Can the WV primary be won with a plurality?
Or -- if no candidate gets 50%+1 -- is there a runoff?

Morrisey is being declared the winner.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/386719-pittenger-loses-gop-primary-fight

Pittenger loses GOP primary fight

Pastor Mark Harris has upset Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) in his Tuesday primary, toppling the incumbent congressman after nearly him in a primary two years ago.

Pittenger conceded the race late Tuesday night, telling his supporters he had called Harris.

The victory sets Harris up for a tough general election fight that could draw outsized attention.

Harris mounted one of the toughest primary challenges to any incumbent congressman against Pittenger in 2016, where he fell just short of beating him. But this time, Harris was able to clear the bar after blasting Pittenger for departing from conservative orthodoxy on issues like the national debt and attacking Pittenger as a stalwart supporter of GOP leadership.

Pittenger had sought to push back by highlighting a voting record he described as in sync with Trump’s agenda and wooing prominent Republicans into the state to lend a hand with fundraising.

more at link.

[Suppressed]

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/386719-pittenger-loses-gop-primary-fight

Pittenger loses GOP primary fight

Pastor Mark Harris has upset Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) in his Tuesday primary, toppling the incumbent congressman after nearly him in a primary two years ago.

Opponent of gay marriage wins.

This might make it easy for Dems to pick up this district.

[mountaineer]

This may explain why Dewine beat Taylor for the GOP nomination for Ohio governor:

In Ohio, no one wants Gov. John Kasich's endorsement - including his former running mate who has it
Jessie Balmert
 Published 8:27 a.m. ET Jan. 24, 2018 | Updated 5:09 p.m. ET Jan. 24, 2018
source

In the Republican primary for Ohio governor, no one apparently wants Gov. John Kasich's endorsement - including the candidate who has it.

Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor told a large group of Clermont County Republicans during her interview for their endorsement last Wednesday that Kasich had endorsed Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and his running mate, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, two Republicans in the room confirmed to The Enquirer.

But Kasich had endorsed Taylor, his running mate in 2010 and 2014. ...

Kasich's decisions to expand Medicaid to lower-income Ohioans and bash President Donald Trump have upset Republicans there. Distancing herself from Kasich helped Taylor secure the Clermont County endorsement, Uible said. ...

Didn't help her to try to distance herself from Kasich, as it turns out.

[mountaineer]

This is kind of interesting. In the Democrat primary for W.Va.'s first district (currently served by Republican David McKinley), a female law professor is leading a millionaire carpetbagger lawyer.

DEM DEM   KENDRA FERSHEE  64.73% 13,262
DEM DEM   RALPH BAXTER 23.01% 4,715
DEM DEM   TOM PAYNE 12.26% 2,511

Baxter was managing partner at the Orrick, Herrington, Sutcliffe international law firm and "came home" to W.Va. to run for Congress. How's that working out for you, Ralph?

From this morning's Wheeling (WV) paper:

Shortly after claiming the Democratic nomination for Congress late Tuesday, Kendra Fershee quickly switched focus.

The West Virginia University College of Law associate dean wants universal health care, as she believes Obamacare is too mild of an approach.

“The Affordable Care Act did not go far enough,” said Fershee while using the formal name for Obamacare. “We need universal health care. We don’t live free if we don’t live healthy. ...

Looks like she's a real Bernie devotee.