National Journal reports:
First, Republican businessman Bill Maloney announced he would likely challenge Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, setting up a rematch of their 2011 contest. And on Thursday, GOP sources confirmed that Republican businessman John Raese filed paperwork for a Senate run, triggering a rematch with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
Raese will be making his fifth run for statewide office — he previously ran in 1984, 1988, and 2006 as well as in 2010, when he faced Manchin. Manchin defeated him by ten points after a tough campaign in which Raese tried to tie the then-governor to President Obama, who is very unpopular in the state. Manchin, meanwhile, successfully cast Raese as a carpetbagger who was out of touch with West Virginians. On Thursday, Democrats were quick to use the same line of attack.
