Ireland for Governor 2011!?

**UPDATE!**

Betty Ireland is expected to be a leading Republican for the 2011 Very Special Election for Governor. Several West Virginia GOP members (@WVGOP) met yesterday to discuss plowing the way for Ireland to run, including; new WV GOP Chairman Mike Stuart (@MikeStuartWV) and former Governor Arch Moore. Speaking of Moore, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito still tops the list for 2011 GOP gubernatorial candidates, because she can keep her House seat while running for Governor.

It's also rumored that Stuart would like to run for public office in 2012. Other GOP 2011 gubernatorial possibilities include Mark Sorsaia, the Putnam County Prosecuting Attorney. For more information on Sorsaia, check out Zac Taylor's story in today's Gazette (@wvgazette) : http://bit.ly/chT1dH.

Ireland and Pritt: Strapping on Stilettos in 2012?

Here’s an option I haven’t heard yet: Betty Ireland for Governor in 2012? Charlotte Pritt for Congress?

Everyone seems to think Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (@Capito4Congress) will run for Governor in 2012, but with the possibility of having 5 people sitting in the Governor’s seat between now and then, why would she want to? Her father was Governor, so continuing the family legacy in her father’s footsteps seems reasonable. But what will our beloved Mountain State look like between now and then? And with her eye on Rockefeller’s seat in 2014, why would she pass that up?

So what other Republican female has statewide recognition and could be strong contender for our first female Governor? Former Secretary of State Betty Ireland (@bettyireland). She’s “politically connected,” weekly Facebook updates and tweets that depict her as a lover of family, policy, and profession. Her latest tweet was about Governor Jan Brewer (@GovBrewer) and how they knew each other when they were both Secretary of State. Ireland was the first female elected to West Virginia’s Executive Branch when she became the 28th Secretary of State in November 2004. Winning that election proved she knows how to campaign to “likely voters,” so she’s got her media vehicles to all demographics covered.

Another former female politico who seems to be under the radar is Charlotte Pritt.

Pritt served in the West Virginia House of Delegates for 4 years,then went onto serve in the State Senate for two terms. In 1996, she became the first female to secure the gubernatorial nomination for either political party in West Virginia, running against Manchin. She also ran for Governor in 1992 but was defeated by Gaston Caperton. Does she have her eye on something in 2012?

2012 has been dubbed the year of the female in the political world, and these are two experienced West Virginia women that just might be strapping stilettos on and hitting the campaign trail.

Going “Negative”: If You Can’t Take the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen

With a very Special and General Election rapidly approaching, campaigns are going to get down right dirty. All this negativity, and the accompanying publicity, can really get under a candidate’s skin, especially if they aren’t prepared. That’ s why thick skin, a proactive mindset, and learning the art of “spin” are critical for campaign success.

Very Special Election Democratic Primary: Governor Manchin won’t go negative, he’ll spin Ken Hechler’s anti-mountain-top-removal around attempting to discuss jobs, how important coal is to our economy, and talk about how he’s been there during coal mining tragedies. Manchin will be passionate, he’ll be dedicated, and most likely he’ll win. And wildcard Sheiri Fletcher? I’m definitely in the dark on that one.

Very Special Election Republican Primary: Raese wins. (I think Mac Warner will campaign really hard, but Raese will outspend him.)

Very Special Election General: It’ll be an election that will simultaneously move and remove mountains. In the end, I bet Manchin will win, but so much mud will be slung that both candidates and every West Virginian will be so dirty, we’ll look like we came from an underground mine!

So if you’re ever considering running for public office, take a good step back in your stilettos and analyze what will go on from today through November 2nd. If people talking about you behind you back hurts your feelings, if you’re paranoid, if there are negative comments on a blog about you, if you have any skeletons hidden in your Carrie Bradshaw-esque closet, if you have burned any bridges, if you have done anything illegal, reconsider. Politics is a profession for the passionate, and in the heat of a campaign anything can happen. All is fair in love, war, and politics. After all, they don’t make firefighter uniforms for politicians.

Going After Non-Historic Voters : Campaigning Hechler-Style

After reading the news in bed this morning with my chihuahua cuddled up next to me, I reviewed Ken Hechler’s (thanks for the correction Ken Ward/@Kenwardjr) first campaign speech (check out footage from @WVWatchdog http://wvurl.com/gLf).

He doesn’t stand behind a podium. He’s 95. He’s managing his own campaign. He’s definitely a different kind of candidate. And I’m excited.

“Well I”m not only going to go after historic voters, I’m going to go after unhistoric voters... the average people of West Virginia,” he proclaims, “I stand for a new form of politics.”

What’s so appealing about Ken Hechler? He is going after regular West Virginians. He, and his campaign, are modest and approachable. My dad, a blue-collar guy who owns and manages an electrical contracting company, said he’d vote for Hechler over Manchin because he likes his style and he feels Hechler can relate to him. I must admit that as a 25 year-old “average” West Virginian, Hechler-style campaigning is much more attractive to me than that of the suspected Senate “shoe-in.”

Hechler is not alienating anyone, (keep in mind I’m not talking about issues, just candidate campaigning styles). If you’d like to make a donation, he’d really appreciate it. I can’t afford to attend Manchin’s $5,000 per person fundraiser at Senator Rockefeller’s D.C. residence, and even if I had the money, I’d rather spend it on shoes. It’s pretty obvious Manchin hasn’t attempted, yet, to engage your average West Virginia “Joe” or younger voters (he still isn’t following anyone on Twitter).

While the spotlights don’t shine in Hechler’s favor, I wish Manchin would make note of what made me stop and turn my head away from the handsome man who made me fall in love with politics almost ten years ago and take a long look at 95-year old Ken Hechler.

WV Politics: A Choo of a Different Color

With West Virginia politics, politicians, and aspiring politicos in the national spot light, reporters, bloggers, and political junkies from across the nation are writing articles and posts about the future of the Mountain State’s political arena. But they aren’t from West Virginia.

It’s strange to read an outsider’s opinion on the lay of the land, or should I say majestic mountainous terrain, when it comes to West Virginia’s political future. Recently, Aaron Blake (@FixAaron), Washington Post political blogger, posted “W.Va. lawmakers already jockeying to replace Manchin,” (http://bit.ly/asJWYK). This is a detailed account with brief historical snipets perfectly fit for anyone who isn’t involved in West Virginia politics. Blake includes a laundry list of potential gubernatorial candidates, including Senate President Tomblin (@Senator_Tomblin), State Treasurer John Perdue, Senator Jeff Kessler (@JeffKessler4Gov, I never would have guessed what he was running for!), and Senator Brooks McCabe (@BrooksMcCabeWV). Other possibilities Blake mentions include Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (@NatalieTennant), as well as Democratic Party Chairman Larry Puccio and Senate appointee Carte Goodwin.

That was news two weeks ago. Note to non-West Virginia journalists: Dig deeper, find out who several of the political insiders are, and call them. That’s where the real story is!

I guess its archetypal to feel a closer, more personal connection with your state’s political lay of the land, both today and tomorrow. And I’m sure South Carolina politicos like Wesley Donehue and Phil Bailey feel how I feel about West Virginia when I read posts and articles about the political roller coaster their state is on right now.

But I can’t help but feel like we mountaineers are in a category all our own, a “Choo” of a different color. For example, our Governor (and projected soon-to-be United States Senator) took his staff with him during the UBB mine disaster. The staff sat with the families involved, listened, comforted, and practically became extended family members with these people. I’m pretty sure I recall Manchin saying during a TV interview, “We’re all family in West Virginia.” In New Orleans, is the Governor’s staff employing hands-on efforts with the oil spill disaster that Manchin’s staff did?

All I can say is that I’m happy to click my red, patent-leather Stuart Weitzman stilettos together and say to myself, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home...”

Palin + Blankenship = One Bad Outfit for WV Candidates

Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) and Massey’s Don Blankenship (@donblankenship) are contributing to West Virginia GOP (@WVGOP) campaigns. According to Lawrence Messina’s (@lmessina) AP article (http://bit.ly/aJR32L), “Blankenship, Palin among W.Va. GOP US House donors,” candidates “Spike” Maynard (@SpikeMaynard) and David McKinley (@mckinley4cong) received $3,500 from Sarah Palin’s PAC, SarahPAC. Blankenship reportedly contributed $4,800 to Maynard’s campaign, and McKinley received $2,400, (obviously we know who “The Don” likes more).

Does this affiliation to a grizzly bear and a black-hearted coal baron help West Virginia GOP candidates, or put them in need of the political fashion police? There is no question that campaigns need money, but at what cost? Obviously both candidates opponents now can run negative ads slamming them for accepting donations, especially after Don Blankenship’s recent interview where he deemed the UBB disaster as “an act of God.”

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (@Capito4Congress) does not account for any campaign donations from this “bad outfit.” Smart move.

It’ll be interesting to see if Blankenship contributes to Governor Manchin (@JoeManchinWV, I don’t know why I’m including this since he still isn’t following anyone), and how he spins that campaign contribution around...

West Virginia’s Digital Divide

Connecting with constituents through the digital democracy (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, etc...) is not the first thing West Virginia politicians need to do. I feel the number one mission-critical effort is to connect residents across the State to the Internet. This connection is the first step in optimizing communication between those in office/those running for office with those who put you in office, thus combating voter complacency through engagement.

While at a West Virginia University Alumni Pig Roast in Boone County this weekend, I pulled out my iPhone to 4square, but didn’t have any cell signal. Sad to say, not having cell signal is something I got used to while driving around Southern West Virginia working on Senator Truman Chafin’s (@Senator_Chafin) campaign, (Hootie Dropped the Ball, anyone remember that radio jingle?). Not having 3G was a bit of a dilemma, however, for my boss (@wvlarry) and I when we were on a photo shoot for Greg Tucker in Summersville. While trying to check my email, our client asked if my iPhone used wireless and then gave me his wireless code. Thank heavens! What would I have done without an Internet connection?

Reality check: Not having an Internet connection is common for too many West Virginia residents. While I would go nuts not being able to check my Twitter feed, read the latest on Huffington Post, or shop at Sephora.com or for shoes, thousands across the Mountain State don’t have a choice. And it’s unacceptable.

As a Social Media Strategist for political campaigns, it’s my job to connect elected officials and aspiring politicians with their constituency. The “democratization of communication” can only happen when both parties engage in an open, digital dialogue. But without Internet infrastructure, ePolitics won’t happen anytime soon in West Virginia.

State Senator Ron Stollings, well-respected Mountain M.D. and client, also attended the Pig Roast, and I asked him what the 411 was with broadband infrastructure. He replied that things were coming along, and that every major public building, from schools to hospitals to libraries, would soon have Internet connection. While I’m following up with him and several other elected politicos this week regarding this issue, “soon” can’t come soon enough.

Albert Who? Albert Howard? Who is this guy?

Albert Who? Albert Howard? Who is this guy?

I hope I wasn’t the only West Virginian asking that question yesterday when some guy from California registers with the Secretary of State’s Office to run in the special election to for Senator Byrd’s seat. Is this a joke?

His website, http://alberthoward.org/default.aspx, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And what’s with the photo of him and his car? He’s on facebook (http://bit.ly/9kIx9J) and twitter (@AlbertHowardUSA), and for some reason has information about a statewide New Hampshire Primary Recount on this website. What? And what is up with the random blog posts under the “Unlock the Dreams” tab? Apparently Howard owns some radio station because icons continuously come up as I scroll through his very, very busy website. And what’s up with the link to his PAC? It takes you back to his homepage.

So Albert, if you are indeed a real living, breathing human being, I challenge you to come to West Virginia. And make it soon.