Joe Manchin

Acting governor Earl Ray Tomblin has won Tuesday's special election for governor in West Virginia, according to the Associated Press. Tomblin, the Democratic state senate president since 1995, defeated Republican businessman and first-time candidate Bill Maloney.

Charleston, W. Va.
“There are still people who think this election is in November,” says Bill Maloney, the Republican candidate for governor, at his campaign headquarters downtown late last week. “Even some of our friends!”

It's only been a few weeks since Manchin last made a stink about Obama and his fellow Democrats' total lack of leadership. Well, Manchin's not done putting his party through the wringer yet:

As a Democratic Senator somehow elected last year in a state where Barack Obama has some of his lowest approval ratings, Joe Manchin is a curious bellweather. The more he has to run from Obama and the more he feels empowered to publicly criticize the head of his party, the more Obama it suggests the President is out of touch with the kind of blue collar voters and Reagan Democrats he's going to need to win the White House again.

Chris Stirewalt reports that Republicans are trying to convince West Virginia's senator-elect Joe Manchin to join the GOP: 

In the West Virginia Senate race, Rasmussen showed Republican John Raese with a 7-point lead a week ago, but now puts Governor Joe Manchin on top 49% to 46%. It looks like Manchin has done an effective job of running away from his past support of Obamacare and hitting Raese for his comments that he'd like to get rid of the minimum wage.

West Virginia governor and Democratic Senate candidate Joe Manchin was asked by Politics Daily if he'll support Obama's reelection in 2012. Manchin's response: "That's such a hypothetical thing, but basically I think there's two more years that have to play out."

Via the Huffington Post, here's West Virginia governor and Democratic Senate candidate Joe Manchin explaining on Fox News Sunday why he would have voted against the health care bill:

Josh Rogin, writing at the Cable, has an interesting piece about the consequences the November elections might have on the START agreement’s fate in the Senate.

West Virginia's Democratic governor and Senate candidate Joe Manchin attended a $1,000 to $5,000 a head fundraiser in Washington, D.C. today and apparently* slipped out the back door without taking questions from the press.

Last week, Rasmussen showed Republican John Raese with a 3-point lead over Democratic Governor Joe Manchin in the West Virginia Senate race (49% to 46%). Now, Rasmussen shows a 7-point lead for Raese:

The Charleston Daily Mail is endorsing Republican John Raese over Democrat Joe Manchin. It's a "painful choice," says the editorial.