At a press conference just now, Gov. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that he would try to hold a special election this year for the Senate seat formerly held by the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd. Manchin also said that he might run in that special election.
His announcement came in response to an announcement from the Secretary of State that there would only be an appointment to the seat, with no new election until 2012. And for now, the matter of filling the seat is being placed on hold — though Manchin again categorically ruled out appointing himself to the seat, while also keeping the door wide open to running in an eventual election.
At one point, a reporter asked Manchin whether he would run in a special election held this year. “I would highly consider that. I truly would. I always want to put myself in a position to help the people of West Virginia,” said Manchin. He then went on to sound very much like a candidate in waiting, talking about the decline of civility and cooperation in Washington, and how he believes he can bring West Virginia’s own issues to the forefront while improving the dialogue.
Manchin announced that he is asking state Attorney General Darrell McGraw (D) to write up a formal opinion on the law, which Manchin hopes could come by the beginning of next week or earlier. “Now with all that being said, I will not move forward on this appointment or the succession process until the Attorney General’s opinion is rendered,” said Manchin.
Secretary of State Natalie Tennant (D) announced last week that there would not be an election, but instead a gubernatorial appointment to last through November 2012, when the term would have been up anyway. This result, which struck many people as odd, was actually the product of the state’s very confusing statute on the subject, and in fact had a binding precedent from the 1990s. What’s more, Tennant herself has stated her disagreement with this outcome, outside of her official duty of administering the law as it has been interpreted for her, and called for special legislation to hold an election.
Manchin repeatedly made it clear that he respected Tennant’s role in her office. “I’ve always supported the chief election officer,” he said at one point. “With that being said, I think even the chief election officer says we should have the opinion of the chief legal officer of West Virginia, with which I also concur.”
In response to a reporter’s question, Manchin indicated that special legislation to move an election up to this year was one option, and he would speak with legislators about it after the Attorney General’s opinion has been delivered.
Manchin also ruled out appointing himself, as many Democrats and union officials have reportedly asked him to do. “I want to say I am so grateful for the support I have received, and the encouragement, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart,” said Manchin. However, he went on to explain: “Let me tell you why I can’t appoint myself. The most valued thing you as a human being own is your vote. It’s a possession that belongs to you and no one else.” As such, he said, he cannot assume to appoint himself to a high office, or to appoint someone else to the office for as long as two and a half years.
