How likely are we to get rid of Rahall? When was he seated? Isn’t he one of those rat zits that’s impossible to pop, like John Barrow and Jim Matheson?
I’ll make two points
A) We are likely to get this seat, but dont’ get too excited. Capito is not a conservative
B) Don’t get too cocky. Remember Rick Berg was creaming the opposition in North Dakota before going down in flames. Similar moderate squishy Republican.
Capito is conservative enough and once the seat goes red it won’t go back for a long time. This is one time I’m not going to be a purist unless some stellar alternative arises and there isn’t any. WV is a conservative state.
Rahall’s margin of win continues to shrink with each election cycle. I think this next one has the potential to be the one that finally does him in. He won by 8 points in 2012 against a political neophyte in contrast in 2008 he won by 34 points. So the race is going to be highly competitive and deserves huge focus not just locally but from national GOP who notoriously fail to understand how to win in WV which is though being personable and shaking hands and having cookout events etc and making people feel you care about them and their plight. That of course would help the GOP throughout America but they seem to love the stick up the butt stiff upper lip approach.
Capito is not a Rand Paul or Ted Cruz, but she is also a long way from being a McQueeg or a Collins. I have no qualms about voting for her.