Now this would be something. MetroNews' Hoppy Kercheval writes that Don Blankenship, the former CEO of Massey Energy, is considering getting in the GOP primary to challenge West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. There's no quote from Blankenship, but Kercheval says that Blankenship blames Manchin for what he considers a politically motivated prosecution against him. Blankenship recently finished a year-long prison sentence for a misdemeanor for conspiring to violate federal mine safety laws. The government was hoping to convict Blankenship for far more serious felony charges over the deaths of 29 of Blankenship's employees in the 2010 Upper Big Branch explosion, but they were unsuccessful.
Manchin would certainly be pleased if Blankenship somehow won the GOP nod. A May 2016 poll from Public Policy Polling survey found that only 10 percent of West Virginians had a favorable opinion of Blankenship, while 55 saw him in a negative light. And while Kercheval writes that Blankenship is hoping to tell his side of the story of the Upper Big Branch disaster, it may be a tough sell. One year ago, 60 percent of respondents said that Blankenship's prison sentence was too short, while only 9 percent thought it was too long.
Another West Virginia Republican isn't ruling out a bid, and he's also not someone that the GOP establishment would like. Businessman John Raese recently told Kercheval that "I never say never" when it comes to a Senate run. Raese certainly isn't lying about never saying never to running for something, since he's lost four Senate races and one gubernatorial campaign without ever winning elected office. We'd call him the Danny Tarkanian of West Virginia, but Raese has been playing this game for far longer than Little Tark.
Raese actually came pretty close to beating Democrat Jay Rockefeller in 1984, losing just 52-48 to the outgoing governor. Raese lost the gubernatorial primary by 6 points four year later, and he was off the ballot for the next 18 years. Raese tried again in the new millennium and got trounced 64-34 by Democrat Robert Byrd in the 2006 Senate race. Byrd died in 2010 and Raese challenged Manchin, then the state's popular governor, in the special election for his seat. For a time the polls showed Raese competitive with, or even leading, Manchin. However, despite the year's GOP wave, Manchin won by a solid 53-43. Raese tried again in 2012 but both parties largely ignored the race, and Raese lost 61-36.
Two GOP office holders, Rep. Evan Jenkins and Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, are both challenging Manchin. Both have their flaws, but they'd both be better for Team Red than Raese, and far better than Blankenship.