“West Virginia” on The Daily Caller

A 52-year-old felon with a ponytail, a mullet, a 210-month federal prison sentence — and a surprising amount of political experience — gave President Barack Obama a serious fight Tuesday night in West Virginia’s Democratic primary election. With 47 of 55 counties reporting their results, Keith Russell Judd had collected 55,592 votes statewide, or 42.80 percent of the total. (more)

MIAMI (AP) — As the West Virginia Mountaineers celebrated their first Orange Bowl victory, safety Darwin Cook shared a hug with the game’s mascot, Obie. (more)

BEAVER, W.Va. (AP) — The new owners of the West Virginia coal mine where 29 men were killed in an explosion agreed Tuesday to pay a record $210 million in penalties over what the government called an “entirely preventable” tragedy caused by the pursuit of profits ahead of safety. (more)

Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, has called for a congressional investigation into political interference in the NCAA’s conference-realignment process, following reports that West Virginia University’s acceptance into the Big 12 Conference, which was a near-certainty on Tuesday morning, is being held up following competitive lobbying from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — on behalf of his alma mater, the University of Louisville. (more)

Acting Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin won Tuesday’s special election for West Virginia governor, beating out Bill Maloney, despite the Republican’s surge in pre-election polls. (more)

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin overcame weeks of Republican attack ads to win the West Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, successfully distancing himself from the Obama administration and the president’s health care plan. (more)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – With just hours left before polls close in the West Virginia gubernatorial special election, the secretary of state is warning voters about possible election fraud, after several reported receiving fake calls about precinct changes. (more)

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In Tuesday’s White House briefing, Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the special gubernatorial election in West Virginia is not a referendum on Barack Obama’s presidency, and argued that none of the recent special elections had been reflections on Obama. (more)

Nationally, deer and motor vehicles are coexisting like never before — but less so in West Virginia. (more)

Republicans in West Virginia are looking for an upset in Tuesday’s special election for governor that would send the third Republican to the executive mansion since 1929. (more)

Republicans hoping for a win in the West Virginia governor’s race have cause for optimism, according to a poll released Monday that shows Republican candidate Bill Maloney now trailing acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin by just a single point. (more)

On October 4 West Virginians will elect a new governor to fill the vacancy created by Joe Manchin’s election to the U.S. Senate in Nov. 2010. Voters will choose between Democratic Acting Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Republican businessman Bill Maloney. (more)

For liberals who are complaining about the debt limit deal and how its spending cuts will hurt the economy, I have two words for you: West Virginia. If increased government spending were a sure-fire path to prosperity, West Virginia would be an economic powerhouse. It’s not — even though the late Senator Robert C. Byrd earmarked at least $3.3 billion of federal spending for that lightly populated state during his tenure. (more)

Coal matters. It matters to individuals, to small businesses, to our nation’s competitiveness, and to our overall economy. Nearly half of U.S. electricity is produced from coal, and the fuel cost of electricity produced from coal is cheaper than any other fossil fuel. (more)

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin apologized to his constituents Tuesday for missing two key votes over the weekend. (more)

Warning: if you’re in Sacramento on December 21, you may see lots of gloomy faces. On that day the Census Bureau will announce which states will gain or lose U.S. House seats, and it appears that California will not gain a seat — for the first time in California’s history. It’s another indicator that the boom times are over in the Golden State. (more)

If you are a newly elected senator filling out the remaining term of one of the most prolific Democratic senators in American history, it’s probably a good idea to make a good impression, especially if you’re up for reelection in two years. (more)

Fed up Americans recently united in telling the government not to touch their collective junk and the message appears to be getting through, at least somewhat, as the Transportation Security Administration is reportedly reevaluating the new enhanced pat-down procedure in response to public outcry. But the TSA’s taxpayer-funded grope-a-thon is not the only unpopular policy that received public rebuke last month. (more)

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has personally promised him that Senate Democrats would not pursue a cap-and-trade bill during the next Congress. (more)

So, the 2010 election is over. Let the 2011 elections begin! (more)