West Virginia’s campaign has descended into a ‘who is least like Obama’ contest, with Democrat governor Joe Manchin on the losing side of that one because of his party. Manchin has repeatedly tried to distance himself from the president, while his rival, businessman John Raese continues to tie the two together.
In the latest debate, which is a race to the right as conservative anger at Obama’s healthcare reforms take center stage, Manchin was at pains to point out the parts of the healthcare bill he opposed, and when asked by the moderator which laws he was in agreement over, he mentioned all small issues, such as minimum wage, social security and Medicare, carefully avoiding any of the controversial bills passed by the current administration in the last two years.
Despite his efforts to draw a line in the sand, opponent Raese maintained that Obama and Manchin "are together" on most issues, to which Manchin replied "I hate to inform my opponent, but Mr. Obama's name will not be on the ballot.”
Manchin is one of the most popular politicians in the nation, with an approval rating of over 70 percent, however most election polls show him neck and neck with Raese in the lead up to the mid-terms in November. This is accounted for by the fact that Obama is very unpopular in West Virginia, and residents are scared Manchin may push an ‘Obama agenda’ if reelected. A fact that his opponent is taking full advantage of.
