Shelley Moore Capito or Mick Staton
Hiram can not cross the credibility threashold. He doesn't have the raw talent to win a state senate race. Did you listen to everyone notice that he was reading from a script on talkline. He can't even afford a staff. When the media sees a press release with the candidate's phone number rather than a staffer in a Congressional race, that does not help.
Darrell McGraw was the most vulnerable incumbent Democrat on the ballot. A Rob Capehart or a Rusty Webb would have trounced him.
Capito will run and Capito will win. Mick Staton, too could cross that credibility threashold.
You know, I am thankful to Arch Moore (former governor who can't vote anymore) that Shelley was able to win that seat, but honestly, she didn't trounce Erik Wells last time...heck she barely ran a campaign in her district - it was Bush who lifted the Republican ticket here in WV - and her district is the more Republican one in the state, lucky her.
Shelley has been boooooed off of stages in this state and let's just say her squishyness and self-confessed fence perching says nothing of her personal conviction.
The big question is: Why? Why Shelley? She's not that dynamic herself, she's not a conservative, and she's not even in touch with her voters.
Furthermore, your comments about Rusty Webb and Rob Capeheart are not as well thought out as you might have hoped. Rusty was a Delegate in a Republican district before he attempted an abysmal campaign throughout Kanawha County for State Senate - and lost...badly. You think the slogan "One of Us" would have better served as an AG candidate? What is that? One of Us? One of the slimy trial lawyers keeping WV broke? Not a chance.
And Robin Capeheart...hmmm. I don't know Rob but I do know that his supporters are among the factions in the Republican Party that are embittered by his defeat IN A PRIMARY and have nothing better to do than send press releases attacking the GOP about news that is months, going on a year, old. Sheesh...I'm not even certain that Rob (or Rusty for that matter) really care about improving the condition of the state.
Regardless of your personal feelings against Hiram, he is the lone ranger out there unafraid of these rabid dogs who are all about destroying the Party and the work that has been done because good Party leadership and good vision.
Did you forget that Hiram nearly won the race? 49.6% of the vote...STATEWIDE. His name recognition grew even more after the race. Furthermore, WVians have a reason to be proud of him, a young energetic Iraqi War vet who cares about his state - and he demonstrates that by LEADING when no one else will.
With the acception of Mick Staton, who has fallen off the political radar through the years, everyone you have named is a part of the problem in the state, not the solution. They became a part of the problem the moment they assumed indifference to the victories of the Party last year. Rusty and more importantly Rob revealed the real reasons they were defeated so badly: no leadership and no vision.
Is that all you got? If so, why not Hiram?