EDITORIAL: A Clean Fight Will Help the GOP in the Third District Congressional Race
For the first time in quite a while, the Republican Party across the Third Congressional District has a chance to really show the voters here what a decent alternative the GOP could be. This can take place in the current Primary Election season, to culminate in early May.
For the next several weeks, the voters of Southern West Virginia will listen not only to the candidates' take on the economic, social, and other issues that warrant their attention; they will also be taking a close look at how the candidates carry themselves. Are they secure in themselves or do they have to base their candidacies on making another candidate look small?
More often than not, those kind of negative attacks have a way of making the aggressor look smaller than the rival within their sights.
That's not to say that there aren't legitimate differences between candidates, whether in policy matters or otherwise. However, just about everyone knows when a given candidate has gone across the line into "Pettyville," trying to tear down another to make him self somehow look better by comparison.
We hope this won't be the case in the upcoming Third District Congressional GOP Primary between former Supreme Court Justice Spike Maynard, perennial candidate Marty Gearhart, and newcomers Conrad Lucas and Lee Bias. Each man has demonstrated intelligence and no doubt has some great issues to talk about with the voters, prompting them to run for this high office.
If these four men can have a robust, but civilized debate on the real issues facing the electorate this year, then their party stands a far better chance of defeating incumbent Democratic Congressman Nick Joe Rahall in November. It's that simple.
Rahall, for any of his other policy faults, comports himself like a gentleman. It will take another such gentleman this year to overcome Rahall's incumbency.