Sen. Manchin is still in the conversation
The West Virginia Weakly Reader for Saturday, June 8, 2024
Journalists love nothing better than a story that just keeps on giving, but even Dave has his limits and it looks like outgoing U.S. Senator Joe Manchin is planning to test them.
Last week, Manchin touched off more speculation about his political future when he left the Democratic party to register as an independent. The timing was interesting. You could even say attention grabbing.
Manchin had to make the switch by June first if he wanted to keep his options open. And that’s what he did. He switched just in time to potentially meet the August first deadline to submit enough petition signatures to the Secretary of State’s office to get on the November ballot as an independent … for, at this point it’s anyone’s guess, although there are those pesky rumors about a potential Manchin run for the governor’s office. As Steven Allen Adams put it in his Reporter’s Notebook column for Ogden Newspapers, “The whole thing smacks of 1996 and the “Democrats for Underwood” effort that arose after Manchin was defeated in the Democratic primary for governor by Charlotte Pritt.”1
Manchin had a chance to put the rumors to bed this week. On Monday, he appeared on WVMetroNews Talkline. The angel on one shoulder told host Hoppy Kercheval that “I have no intention of running for any political office, elected office.” But the devil on the other said, “I’ve never closed doors,”2 leading Kercheval’s colleague, reporter Brad McElhinny, to pen a few amusing social media posts about Manchin’s equivocation.3
We’ve been here before — Manchin’s flirtation with a presidential run on the ‘No Labels’ ticket comes immediately to mind. And now it seems we’re in for a long, hot Manchin summer.
Just the thing to keep Dave’s motor running — or not.
You decide.
Take our completely unscientific, totally meaningless and utterly stupid poll.
The speculation surrounding Senator Manchin may be the top political story of the moment, but there are other things worth noting. Keep scrolling for the latest WV Weakly Reader — sans Manchin — but first, a content announcement. Dave and I will be publishing our inaugural WV Weakly podcast soon.
I drove over to Berkeley Springs last week to sit down with state Sen. Charles Trump (R-Morgan). Trump is a well respected, longtime lawmaker who is preparing to take a seat on the state Supreme Court.
I had a blast catching up with him. And I think you will, too. It’s the sort of thing paid subscriptions made possible and we hope to offer more of the same in the future. If you have anyone in mind you’d like us to talk to, let us know in the comments.
The West Virginia Weakly Reader
💰 Governor Justice kicked off the week touting a more than $700 million surplus with one month left in the fiscal year.4 He issued a press release that included a link to a cheerleading video in which he said “we’re no longer cutting a ribbon on a Taco Bell.”5 He said the revenue surpluses are being invested in major projects that are bringing jobs to West Virginia and opportunities for children. Justice said the surpluses are proof his administration has minded the store, but critics say he’s playing a shell game, that tax collections are actually well below what they were last fiscal year — to the tune of more than $800 million. The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy published its own analysis this week arguing that the flat budgets of recent years are failing to meet West Virginia’s basic needs.6
⚖️ Outgoing state Senate President Craig Blair (R-Berkeley) is urging the legislature to act quickly following the death of Kyneddi Miller, the 14-year-old Boone County girl who was found in a “skeletal state” in April. He issued a statement7 urging the legislature to act after state officials held an in-person press conference Thursday on the investigation into Miller’s death. Reporters have been leading the charge for more information after being stonewalled by state officials. Gov. Justice’s Chief of Staff, Brian Abraham, maintained there had been no cover-up, but he did acknowledge missteps in Miller’s case and state Schools Superintendent Michele Blatt said they’re looking at “strengthening the guardrails around homeschool requirements.”8
😲 A required review found 50 anomalies on the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline that will need to be examined further for possible remediation.9 Environmentalists have long opposed MVP, voicing concern that it could contaminate rural streams along its more than 300 mile path and lead to erosion and landslides. Meanwhile, the U.S. Forest Service says restoration work has begun in the Jefferson National Forest in West Virginia and Virginia.10 The pipline runs through three-and-a-half miles of the forest.
🥛 The sale of raw milk is now legal in West Virginia. State lawmakers passed H.B. 491111 during the regular session and it took effect on Friday. West Virginia Watch spoke with West Virginia University dairy scientist Marie Krouse who had some words of caution, saying “I love dairy products, I really do, I just don’t think [drinking raw milk] is worth the risk,” Krause said. “I don’t think it was worth the risk before H5N1 appeared, and now I just think we have yet another reason not to consume raw milk.”12 The bird flu virus has not been detected among dairy cows in West Virginia but an outbreak in several other states have led to three human cases.13
🗞️ A 133-year-old West Virginia newspaper ceased publication this week. Moundsville Daily Echo publisher Charlie Walton told the Associated Press that “We simply cannot get anybody to work there. I’ve been advertising for years for people. I don’t get any resumes. It’s just been a disaster to find anybody to even work part time.”14 Walton published the Echo’s final edition last week and then closed up shop.
🗳️ Who would have thought there might be election irregularities in — wait for it …. Mingo County? Two term state Senator Chandler Swope, that’s who. He filed a formal challenge to the May 14th election results this week, alleging that Democrats were allowed to vote in the Republican primary. Swope represents a southern West Virginia senate district that includes a portion of Mingo County, but lost by more than 450 votes to Mingo County resident Craig Hart. He says his challenge is not “sour grapes” but a legitimate concern about the numbers. He says an abnormally high number of Republicans voted in Mingo County.15
🎂 West Virginia Second District Congressman Alex Mooney celebrated a birthday this week. Mooney was born June 7, 1971 in Washington, D.C. Governor Justice bested Mooney by 34 percentage points in the May primary for the Senate seat currently held by Joe Manchin.16
👨🏭 Worth reading: Our friends at Mountain State Spotlight began publishing a series this week on working conditions at the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken factory in Moorefield. The series kicked off Wednesday, with a quote from a former top workplace safety official saying the number of severe injuries “is a red flag on safety conditions in the plant.”17
⚾️ Lastly, if you’re looking for someone to blame for the University of North Carolina’s 8-6 walk-off win against West Virginia University in last night’s Game 1 of the Chapel Hill Super Regionals, you can point the finger at Dave. He jinxed the Mountaineer baseball team by letting me know they were “probably” going to win the game, just before things went downhill in the bottom of the ninth. It’s WVU’s first time making it this far in college baseball’s playoffs. But fear not, Game 2 is tonight at 8 p.m. and Game 3 (hopefully) will be Sunday, if WVU can pull out a win tonight.18
Everyone’s got one — The WV Weakly’s roundup of opinion from around the state:
The phantom campaigns of Joe Manchin ~ The (Morgantown) Dominion Post
Manchin’s switch to independent gets a shrug ~ Charleston Gazette-Mail editorial
Accountability is needed in WV ~ The Intelligencer/Wheeling News Register editorial on state officials’ response to the death of Kyneddi Miller.
Reporter’s Notebook: Manchin’s declaration of independence ~ Steven Allen Adams, Ogden Newspapers
Manchin, now an independent: ‘I am not running.’ Also: ‘I’ve never closed doors.’ ~ Brad McElhinny, WVMetroNews
Gov. Justice announces West Virginia’s year-to-date surplus exceeds $700 million with one month left in fiscal year ~ Justice administration press release
West Virginia’s revenue gap surpasses $800 million with further tax cuts on the horizon ~ Sean O’Leary, West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy
Justice administration admits missteps, zeros in on beefing up homeschool laws following teen’s death ~ Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch
50 ‘anomalies’ found on Mountain Valley Pipeline ~ James Dalpino, WFXR-TV
Feds: Mountain Valley Pipeline restoration has begun in Jefferson National Forest ~ Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail
The sale of raw milk is legal in West Virginia starting Friday. Drinking it comes with risks ~ Lori Kersey, West Virginia Watch
A 3rd human case of bird flu detected, this one with respiratory symptoms ~ Carmel Wroth, NPR
West Virginia newspaper, the Moundsville Daily Echo, halts operations after 133 years ~ The Associated Press
Swope challenging primary election results in Mingo County ~ Charlie Boothe, WVVA-TV
Profile of Second District Congressman Alex Mooney ~ James Casto, e-WV — The West Virginia Encyclopedia
In one of the most dangerous workplaces in West Virginia, a poultry giant has profited from immigrant labor for decades ~ Allen Siegler, Mountain State Spotlight