Sen. Rockefeller to Retire

At the end of last week, Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) became the first 2014 election cycle Senator to announce that he will not seek re-election. The move is not a surprise, particularly in light of several factors: his age (the Senator will be 77 by the next election); the attacks he has launched on his home state’s coal industry; a previously Democratic West Virginia now swinging decidedly toward Republicans; and a tough new opponent in the guise of Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.-2), who announced her own Senatorial bid earlier this month. Rockefeller will leave the Senate after he completes his fifth term. Prior to serving in Washington, the Senator was a two-term Governor, Secretary of State, and member of the House of Delegates. In all, when his current term ends at the beginning of 2015, he will have served 48 of the last 52 years in public office. With the Senator exiting, all political attention turns toward Ms. Capito. The open West Virginia seat will now become the National Republican Senatorial Committee's top conversion target. Striving to avoid the mistakes that some GOP candidates made during the 2012 cycle, costing them seats even with an early political prognosis as favorable as in West Virginia 2014 – Capito is not the type of politician prone to egregious mishap. Originally elected to the House in 2000 to what was a heavily Democratic seat, Ms. Capito overcame a huge amount of her opponent's personal spending in order to lock down the 2nd District. She repeated the feat in a re-match two years later. Since that time, the seat has become more favorable and her re-election percentages have grown. She will clearly begin the general election in the favorite's role. Though the state is turning away from Democrats, the party still has a multitude of strong statewide candidates. Former Sen. Carte Goodwin is a potential entry. After the death of Sen. Robert Byrd, Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin appointed Goodwin to serve for the interim period between the former's death and the latter winning the seat in a special election. Speculation that Goodwin would eventually run for statewide office has always percolated, but he has yet to pull the trigger. Other potential candidates are former West Virginia Democratic Party chairman Mike Callaghan, state House Speaker Rick Thompson, and possibly even 19-term Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.-3). Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, a loser in the recent race for Governor after Manchin was elected to the Senate, is another potential Senatorial candidate. The same can be said for state Auditor Glen Gainer and Treasurer John Perdue. For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.