WV: Raese's In
Republican sources said this a.m. that industrialist John Raese will announce he's running for Senate in WV.
Dem Robert Byrd is the incumbent.
Raese informed the WV State GOP and the NRSC of his decision late yesterday.
Sources expect Raese to release a statement today or tomorrow.
Raese, widely known in the state because of his corporate stewardship and his '84 SEN/88 Gov runs, was asked to consider a bid by senior Republicans in Washington.
With race's expected entrance, at least one other GOP candidate, ad agency exec George Johnson, will drop out. Others, like Iraq war vet Hiram Lewis, optometrist Zane Lawhorn and '04 congressional candidate Rick Snuffer are likely to stay in the race, at least for a little while. [MARC AMBINDER]
Soundly unseating Byrd would be a perfect sequel to taking out Daschle...
Odds are, Senate proceedings would speed up as well, with less Canterbury recitations...
Assuming that Raese gets the nomination. Hiram Lewis came within a hair of defeating the incumbent attorney general. Raese did not dump considerable portions of his fortune into previous races (versus Rockefeller in '84 and Moore in the primary in '88).
Before you get too enthusiastic, it might not be a bad idea to Lexus some of his (and his wife's) comments from previous races.