Crowded field seeks 3rd District House seat in West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Rep. Evan Jenkins' dream of a U.S. Senate seat has opened a door for other ambitious West Virginia politicians, prompting a rush of contenders for his congressional seat and giving Democrats their best chance for a pickup in the Mountain State.
Eleven candidates are on the ballot in Tuesday's primaries for the 3rd Congressional District seat Jenkins is vacating, including six current or former state legislators.
Democrats controlled the seat for nearly 40 years under Nick Rahall, who was defeated by the Democrat-turned-Republican Jenkins in 2014. Now four Democrats want to turn that red seat blue, and seven Republicans want to keep it GOP.