Capito passes on bid for Senate; GOP eyes turn to Ireland, Raese

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) has again passed on a Senate bid and will announce later this year or in early 2008 that she is running for reelection to the House, her spokesman confirmed yesterday.

Republican eyes now turn to Secretary of State Betty Ireland and 2006 Senate nominee John Raese, who faced Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) in 1984 and who some say is girding for a rematch.

{mosads}Capito, a fourth-term House member, has been Republicans’ top pick for West Virginia’s two Democratic-held Senate seats in the last two cycles. In 2006, she passed on challenging Sen. Robert Byrd (D).

As it stands, she will stick with the House and could face her most serious reelection challenge, as state Sen. John Unger (D) is weighing a run at her seat.

“She’s been preparing to run for her fifth term since Nov. 8 of last year,” said Capito spokesman Jordan Stoick, who added that the thought of running to represent the entire state “at some point is appealing to her. But right now, her heart and dedication are with her constituents in the 2nd district.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is again targeting West Virginia as a red state with a Democratic senator after failing to make a competitive race in the state in 2006.

Ireland, who won her current office in 2004, is considering running against Rockefeller but isn’t tipping her hand. The secretary of state had been deferring to Capito.

“She has not made any plans for any future race at this point,” Ireland spokesman Ben Beakes said. “All doors are open, and she never closes any door.”

Raese, whom Rockefeller originally edged to win the seat, received little help from the national party and lost to Byrd in 2006 by more than 30 points. He has the ability to self-fund, however, and some speculate that the 2006 cycle was a warm-up for a rematch with the senator he really wants to face.

Raese could not be reached for comment by press time.

Capito is being targeted by national Democrats this cycle despite a strong reelection record.

In her three reelection bids, she has never won less than 57 percent of the vote. Having narrowly edged out Democrat Jim Humphreys to win the seat in 2000, she defeated the wealthy self-funder by 20 points in 2002.

In 2006, she defeated Mike Callaghan (D) 57-43, matching her winning percentage from 2004.

Capito is the only Republican in West Virginia’s five-member delegation, in spite of the state’s lean toward the GOP in presidential politics.

Sam Youngman contributed to this report.