Ex-Maryland GOP Chairman to Run in West Virginia #WV02

Former Maryland GOP Chairman Alex Mooney announced on Monday that he will venture across state lines to run for West Virginia’s 2nd District.

“I have been encouraged by the many words of support from grassroots activists I have received since my interest in running was first reported in Roll Call in February,” Mooney said in a press release. “People want a fighter for their conservative values, and that is exactly who I am.”

Earlier this year, CQ Roll Call reported that Mooney was seriously considering a campaign for the seat, which is open because Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is running for Senate in 2014. He submitted his resignation as his state party’s leader in February and has since moved to the Mountain State. Full story

Top Republican Won’t Run for Capito Seat #WV02

Updated 5:12 p.m. | State Del. Eric Nelson will not run for the GOP nomination to succeed Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., in the state’s 2nd District, according to two sources.

Capito is running for Senate in 2014, leaving behind a district that favors Republicans.

But strategists from both parties envision scenarios in which the seat could flip to Democrats now that Capito will not be on the district ballot. Nelson was the favorite of top Republicans to run and had the potential to clear the GOP field.

Full story

Remainders: Recruitment Woes

Here’s what you may have missed “At the Races” on Monday …

• Former Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin announced on her Facebook page that she will not seek the open Senate seat in South Dakota.
• A GOP poll found that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has a slight lead over likely Republican Senate candidates Joe Miller and Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell. Palin, however, has not indicated that she will run for the seat.
• A crowded GOP primary in West Virginia’s 2nd District may be likely. The seat is being vacated by Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who announced last year that she’s running for the state’s open Senate seat following Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s retirement.
• David Schwarz, a former staffer for Republican Rep. Jack Kingston, is running for his former boss’ seat in Georgia’s 1st District. Kingston left the seat open when he announced he was running for the Peach State’s open Senate seat.

What we’re mulling on Monday …

• Two new polls out in New Hampshire found Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., has a double-digit lead in a hypothetical match-up with former Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass.
• North Carolina state Sen. Malcolm Graham became the first candidate to announce he will run for Rep. Mel Watt’s seat. Watt was nominated by President Barack Obama to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency, although he has yet to be confirmed and has yet to resign his seat. If confirmed, Watt’s House departure would likely create a crowded special election.

Republican Primary Looms for Capito’s Seat | The Field

Several Republicans are looking at running for Capito's House seat. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

The GOP field for the 2nd District has become a potentially crowded one since Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., announced her bid for Senate last year.

Several Mountain State Republicans are giving her seat a serious look, according to a handful of state and national operatives.

Here’s a look at some of Capito’s potential successors: Full story

Remainders: Larry Flynt Backs Mark Sanford

Polls close for the special primary for Senate in Massachusetts at 8 p.m. EDT. Check Roll Call tonight for results.

In the meantime, here’s what you might have missed “At the Races” on Tuesday …

#SC01: Larry Flynt — the publisher of Hustler — endorsed former Gov. Mark Sanford’s special election bid. He’s said he’ll donate the maximum to the struggling Republican’s campaign.

And in what will likely come as more welcome support, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and FreedomWorks PAC backed Sanford over the Democratic nominee, Elizabeth Colbert Busch. Meanwhile, House Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, targeted female Republicans in its final ad before Election Day.

#PAgov: GOP Gov. Tom Corbett’s terrible polling makes Republicans nervous about four suburban Philadelphia seats.

#GAsen: Republican Rep. Jack Kingston will hold two news conferences on Thursday — and all signs point to him announcing a bid for Senate.

#2016: Libertarian Gary Johnson sounded like “he’s up for another run” in a speech at George Washington University on Monday night.

What we’re mulling on Tuesday… Full story

West Virginia: Mooney Says ‘No Final Decisions’ Made on House Race

Former Maryland GOP Chairman Alex Mooney confirmed to CQ Roll Call on Tuesday that he has moved to West Virginia but cautioned “no final decisions have been made” on a future run for office.

“Now I am working on a book about door to door campaigning and politics, which will take at least a couple months,” Mooney said in an email, chalking up his delayed response to overseas travel.

On Monday, multiple sources said Mooney had conversations this weekend about running for the open 2nd District seat in West Virginia. Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito is leaving that seat to run for Senate in 2014.

Full story

West Virginia: Ex-Maryland GOP Chairman Alex Mooney Eyes Capito Seat

Mooney expressed interest in Capito's (above) seat. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Former Maryland GOP Chairman Alex Mooney has moved to West Virginia and is considering a run for the open 2nd District, according to a high-ranking state party official.

West Virginia GOP National Committeeman Kris Warner confirmed to CQ Roll Call that Mooney had his eye is on the seat held by Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who is running for Senate in 2014.

“That was something he was considering doing right now,” Warner said, confirming a Friday report in Red Maryland, a conservative blog. “He told me he had purchased property in West Virginia.”

Warner described Friday evening conversations at a party reception in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. The state GOP’s executive committee held a meeting over the weekend in the eastern West Virginia town not far from the Maryland border. Full story