I saw this coming a week ago, so I'm not at all surprised.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin voiced support for holding a special election this year to fill the late Sen. Robert Byrd's seat, announcing that he would request a legal opinion from the state attorney general to determine if a vote could be held.
Manchin, a Democrat who said he would be "highly" interested in running for the seat himself, expressed discomfort with Secretary of State Natalie Tennant's ruling that the governor should name a placeholder to the seat until it comes up for election in 2012.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/...
The way I see this going down is that the WV Legislature will change or clarify the existing law. The Gov will appoint someone to hold the seat until the special election - said person will NOT be himself. The parties will nominate their candidates via some sort of convention to save the expense of a primary as I think both parties will consider the results of such a primary a foregone conclusion in this specific case.
I can't see Shelly Moore-Capito not going for it. This is the best shot she is ever going to have and even if she falls short, she'll have another shot in 2012 unless she bombs as a candidate (unlikely). It does mean that the GOP will have to find someone to fill her seat, but this shouldn't be a problem. Her seat has a slight GOP lean and it's a GOP year. It's sort of double-or-nothing for her but I guess she could always run for Governor if it doesn't work out.
Manchin - unless I'm wrong about this - can't bring any money over from a Governor's race to a Senate race. That does mean he's got to raise some $ as I doubt the national Senate Dems are going to have any to spare. It does mean that there is another seat on the table.
Prediction: Rasumssen Reports will have out a poll within a week showing the two of them within the margin or error.