What's the biggest hotbed of House race intrigue so far this year? Oddly enough, it might be West Virginia. The state may be trending red rapidly, but Republicans' selection of former Maryland GOP Chair Alex Mooney in the May primary for the open 2nd CD has given former West Virginia Democratic Chair Nick Casey hope he can make the race more about carpetbagging than President Obama.To the south, in the coal country 3rd CD, 38-year Democratic incumbent Rep. Nick Rahall is in the fight of his political life against GOP state Sen. Evan Jenkins. In fact, the race has become ground zero for early skirmishing between Democrats' House Majority PAC and the GOP-aligned Americans for Prosperity. Rahall has never faced such strong headwinds, and the race is in the Toss Up column.
WV-01: David McKinley (R) - North: Wheeling, MorgantownSolid Republican. McKinley won a hotly contested open seat race in 2010 with 51 percent of the vote, but sailed to reelection in 2012 with 62 percent. Part of his secret to locking down the 1st CD, beyond its obvious pro-GOP
What is The Cook Political Report?
The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the US House of Representatives, US Senate, Governors and President as well as American political trends.
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Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.