People will be looking closely at the outcome of West Virginia’s Senate race, but the state – where the polls close at 7:30 p.m. – also has a couple of close congressional races.
In particular, the race in the First District has dynamics very similar to those in the Senate race.
The Democratic candidate, Mike Oliverio, is conservative (as is Gov. Joe Manchin, the conservative Democratic Senate candidate) and won the primary in an upset, beating 14-term incumbent Alan Mollohan.
The majority of the district’s voters still consider themselves Democrats – and have a historical dislike of the Republican Party – but are conservative when it comes to political beliefs. They are not at all fans of President Obama.
The race is a toss-up, though given the dynamics at play, Republican David McKinley probably has a slight edge. If Republicans win it, they’re on track to do at least as well as expected; if they also win in West Virginia’s Third District, where the Democrat is still favored, it’s a sign of a very strong Republican wave.
