Candidates to begin signing up for 2006 election
There are still two weeks before Republicans and Democrats begin to file for candidacy in the 2006 election.
Mountain Party candidates, the only third party with access to West Virginia's ballot, will have to file with their party, which chooses its candidates at its convention in April.
"Secretary of State Betty Ireland encourages those that feel the call to public service, to file for office," said Ben Beakes, chief of staff for the Secretary of State's Office.
Candidacy filing begins Jan. 9. Filings must be postmarked by January 28, he said. The primary election is May 9, and the general election November 14.
The state's majority party — the Democrats — already has a full slate of candidates, but this year the party is asking candidates to take a second look at whether they should run, said Nick Casey, chairman of the West Virginia State Democratic Party.
"We are asking our potential candidates to be very honest with themselves about their likelihood of success, not only in the primary election but in the general election," he told The Dominion Post on Monday.
That's to avoid expending too much energy, finances and other resources during the primary election, Casey said. Often in competitive races with two or three candidates, campaign resources can be drained long before the general election.
Locally, Democrats are focusing on the 44th District House of Delegates race, said Cathy Tinney-Zara, chairwoman of the Mon County Democratic Executive Committee.
They hope to oust Delegate Cindy Frich, R-Monongalia — the only Republican from Mon County who holds a state seat.
Meanwhile, Republicans' recruitment efforts have gone "extremely well" statewide, said Matthew Kiessling, regional political director for the West Virginia Republican Party.
His region covers the northern part of West Virginia.
"We're very hopeful that we'll fill the ballot at this point. We are hopeful that every race on the ballot will be contested. We are hitting the ground running," he said, referring to the state Senate and House of Delegates seats.
Kiessling is former chairman of the Mon County Republican Executive Committee.
Jim Shaffer, vice chairman of the Mon County Republican Executive Committee, agreed that statewide, recruitment efforts are "looking good." He said there should be a Republican candidate in every state-level race.
However, the party is still seeking candidates for two Monongalia County Magistrate seats, he said.
One of those seats is held by Republican Mike Roberts, who retires January 1. Roberts leaves office as the only Republican among the county's four magistrates.
In the 2006 election, open offices include all three seats for U.S. House of Representatives, some state Senate seats, all state House of Delegates seats, at least one full term for county commissioner in each county, and at least three board of education seats in each county.
Some political party seats are also up for election, as well as two Monongalia County magistrate seats.
Potential candidates for a county seat should file with the County Clerk's Office.
Candidates for offices that cover more than one county should file with the secretary of state's office, Beakes said.
Candidates for the Mountain Party — a third party exclusive to the state — must wait until after the Mountain Party convention, which has not yet been scheduled, said Frank Young, party spokesman.
The convention will probably take place in April, as it did in 2002, Young said.
Mountain Party candidates must file with the party. The party will nominate candidates by the day before the primary, Young said.
The Mountain Party expects to have six to 12 candidates on the ballot for state seats, he said.
The date for the Mountain Party convention will be announced in January.
Jesse Johnson, who ran as a Mountain Party candidate for governor in 2004, said he is not certain if he will be a candidate in 2006.
Of the 200 third-party candidates in the nation, Johnson got the second-highest percentage of the vote, he said.
His approximately 2 percent of the vote earned the party four more years of ballot access.
State law requires a party to gain 1 percent of the vote in a gubernatorial race for that party to have access to the ballot.
Gaining access to the ballot is one of the largest obstacles a third party faces, Johnson said.
The Mountain Party is the state's only third party with access to the ballot, Young said.
There is no Independent party in West Virginia, but independents can petition for candidacy up until the day of the primary election, Young said.