National Republican Senatorial Committee executive director Rob Collins said in a statement Friday that Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s (D-WV) retirement makes West Virginia “an even stronger pickup opportunity for Republicans in 2014.” He continued:
Voters next year will have a clear choice between a Democrat who will be a loyal vote for President Obama and Harry Reid as they try to kill West Virginia’s coal industry and bankrupt our country with reckless government spending, versus a Republican who will serve as an effective check-and-balance on their liberal agenda and work to get our country’s economy back on track.”