West Virginia’s Dem governor not sure he’ll vote for Obama

The Democratic governor of West Virginia said Tuesday he’s not sure if he’ll vote for President Obama in November, echoing similar comments from U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) last month.

“President Obama has apparently made it his mission to drive the backbone of West Virginia’s economy, coal and the energy industry, out of business,” Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said in an interview with the Charleston Daily Mail. “That will not only hurt thousands of West Virginia families, it will destroy the economic fabric of our state.”

The only consolation for Obama might be that Tomblin is no fan of his likely opponent, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

{mosads}”I do not believe that either candidate has a real understanding of what is important to West Virginia,” Tomblin said Tuesday.

Tomblin added that Romney’s platform “will put more burdens on West Virginia families who are simply trying to make ends meet.”

Republicans are crowing over the high-profile defections among top West Virginia Democrats, arguing they underscore the difficulty the president will have attracting blue-collar voters in the fall.

Manchin issued a similarly critical statement last month, raising eyebrows across Washington.

“I strongly believe that every American should always be rooting for our president to do well, no matter which political party that he or she might belong to,” Manchin said. “With that being said, many West Virginians believe the last 3 1/2 years haven’t been good for us, but we’re hopeful that they can get better.”

But like Tomblin, Manchin was reluctant to offer much praise for Romney, saying instead he would “look at the options” when deciding who to support.

“There are many West Virginians who believe that he’s out of touch, especially because of his plan to end Medicare as we know it and privatize Social Security,” Manchin said.

Still, Obama isn’t likely counting on West Virginia to carry his presidential campaign. Republicans have won the state in each of the past three presidential elections, including in 2008, when Sen. John McCain trounced the president 56 percent to 43.