Elections 2012: John Raese Is Back For A Rematch Against Joe Manchin

John Raese is back.

The Republican businessman that ran against Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in 2010 for the Senate seat formerly occupied by the late Robert Byrd has filed to take on the incumbent senator again in 2012.

Raese lost to Manchin by a 10-point margin, but not before attracting national attention for looking like he might actually win as a Republican in a safely Democratic state. Raese campaigned on Tea Party principles, but Manchin was ultimately successful at distancing himself from President Obama enough to win some of the more conservative vote.

"I call it unfinished business," Raese told the Charleston Daily Mail Thursday. Raese criticized Manchin for voting with Obama more than 85 percent of the time. "Last time, I called him a rubber-stamp, and he didn't let me down," he said.

Bill Nelson's War Chest

Incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) is raising a lot of money, but isn't spending it. Nelson has accumulated about $8.5 million in campaign funds -- including the $1.4 million from the recent fourth quarter.

One of the sole Democratic legislators in the Sunshine State, Nelson faces a tough reelection bid. On the Republican side, Rep. Connie Mack IV holds a wide lead against his primary opponents. Former Sen. George LeMieux, slipping in the polls, slammed Mack on Thursday, saying the senate seat "is not a crown to pass from father to son." Mack is the son of former Rep. Connick Mack III.

Party Switcher To Run Again

Remember Parker Griffith? He's the former Alabama congressman who switched parties from Democrat to Republican in the middle of his term, only to be defeated in the 2010 GOP primary.

Now Griffith has said he will file to run for congress again in Alabama's 5th District -- still as a Republican.

Well, This Is Embarrassing.

Dave Spence, Republican candidate for governor in Missouri, said he earned a degree in economics. The University of Missouri has revealed it's actually a degree in home economics, more specifically family economics and management or consumer economics. Read more at STLToday.

Former Exec To Run For Congress

Former Microsoft executive Suzan DelBene (D) announced she will run for congress in Washington state's District 1. Roll Call has more.

Speculation Over Nelson Seat Continues

Speculation continues over whether former Gov. Bob Kerrey (D) will run for the U.S. Senate seat in Nebraska being vacated by retiring Sen. Ben Nelson (D). Nebraska Watchdog posted this exclusive video (below), in which Kerrey says the Crossroads GPS attack ad against him made him laugh, and claims he'll announce his decision next week.

Also on HuffPost:

 

 

Comments

[IPredictARiot]

02:37 AM on 01/15/2012

The article doesn't note that Raese flew into WV from Florida on his private jet to file the paperwork.

I'm sure this'll go well for him...

[MNUSA]

10:44 AM on 01/15/2012

So does he stay in Florida to avoid paying personal income taxes? That's what wealthy Minnesotans do. They make their fortunes here and come back if they get sick. But they don't want to give anything back to the state that they made money in.

[kminwv]

08:54 AM on 01/20/2012

Just so you know, Raese's wife lives in Florida during the school year so their daughter, who has some special educational needs, can attend school there. John and Liz have a home in Morgantown, and John's offices for Greer Industries are there as well on his families land. John is a businessman who travels around as he has several companies in WV and a few outside of WV.

What, is it all of a sudden not ok to visit Florida. Many of our Seniors retire to Florida during the winter months and then come back to WV in the spring. Should their loayalty to their home state be questioned? Of course not.

Barack just went to Disney Land, is he no longer elligable to run for re-election.

Oh wait, I forgot, it's ok for Libs - just like Manchin's $400,000 54 foot yaucht which is docked in - um - wait for it - yep FLORIDA! But again, that's ok right?

Stop the class warfare and look into the facts. WV is last in everything good and first in everything bad. Manchin and the 60+ years of corrupt Democratic control have put and kept us there. It's time for a change in WV.

[ILoveMyCoffee]

01:08 AM on 01/15/2012

Does John Raese even have any connections left in WV? I know now Senator Coats and Bob Kerrey had families and friends in Indiana and Nebraska, respectively, but what about this guy?

[rosiebond007]

10:24 PM on 01/14/2012

These Republicans all look as though they spend to much time with Boehner and the merlot.

[marta76]

07:45 PM on 01/14/2012

I am WV born and bred and Raese has run for Gov. and Senate every election and never wins. I feel like I am trapped in the movie "Groundhog Day". Like the rest of the repug zombies you can't get rid of him, he just keeps coming back...retire to your home in Florida Mr. Raese and leave the good people of WV alone.

[Sisa]

07:42 PM on 01/14/2012

I remember this guy... He is the one who wants to end unemployment and the minimum wage. Yay! We can work for pennies and then get laid off and starve. Yay!

[rMatey]

04:59 PM on 01/14/2012

John Raese is a millionaire and the favorite Koch-sucker candidate.

[forestnfama]

04:42 PM on 01/14/2012

Ben Nelson is finally cashing in......blue dog sold his soul and was most responsible for much of the healthcare bill being watered down and single payer being eliminated. Democrats are losing nothing but a back stabbing conservative. K street has already made it clear that he has a job any time he wants.....

[Tommygun264]

04:39 PM on 01/14/2012

The only candidate more universally disliked in 2010 than Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, more of a buffoon than Christine O'Donnell, and more out of touch than Sharron Angle. The billionaire best known for declaring with pride, "I earned my money the old fashioned way, I inherited it", is seeking to sooth his wounded ego by attempting once again to buy himself a seat in the US Senate, in a year when income disparity  and the obscenely low taxes paid by the top 1/10th of the top 1% on the economic scale are major issues with voters. Obviously Mr. Raese is rather fond of throwing away that money he inherited.

[oucwboy]

08:08 PM on 01/14/2012

1% in still lots more than you pay

[Tommygun264]

03:04 AM on 01/15/2012

Yes, 10% of a million or a billion is more than 35% of $50,000.00 or less, but thew FACT remains the people with the most income - people who don't labor, but leach off the labor of the working class - are paying the lowest tax rates. If tomorrow morning dawned and every millionaire and billionaire on the face of the earth had disappeared, the world would go on, the national and global economies would not only remain intact, but would flourish as the trillions larded away by the idle rich filtered back into circulation. But if the day dawned and every worker, or one out of every two, or even one out of every four workers (just 25%) were gone, the national and global economies would crash and human civilization as we know it would collapse into chaos. The FACT is that the idle rich contribute NOTHING of consequence to human civilization. The WORKERS create the wealth and keep society running. It's time to end the free ride for the ultra rich - the society built and maintained by the workers have made their wealth possible, and it's only fitting that those who have benefited the most, should contribute at least the same percentage as the rest of us, if not more.

[Clevelandinwi]

01:00 PM on 01/14/2012

race is a lunatic - to the nth degree!

[coolhandfreak]

12:25 PM on 01/14/2012

John Raese lost by 10 points when Obama appeared to be much more radioactive. Now he returns into the teeth of an Obama surge which is in no small part due to the gag reflex instilled by the Tea Bagger Army. The Tea Baggers are now on the run which does not bode well for Raese.

[Terri Skau]

12:22 PM on 01/14/2012

Here's a little back ground on John Raese. Political positions

Raese supports eliminating the Federal minimum wage, the Department of Education, Department of Energy and the Internal Revenue Service." I like getting rid of the IRS."

Raese opposes abortion, human cloning and federally funded stem cell research. He favors repealing the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and supports the U.S.
Military's now-defunct Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.

And he's Billionaire..That's just what we need another Sanctimonious P****

[oucwboy]

08:12 PM on 01/14/2012

it's exactly what we need. Someone who know how to manage money.

[Terri Skau]

08:20 PM on 01/14/2012

No Thank you...Just another one there for his own personal gain

[henrypapillon]

10:48 PM on 01/14/2012

You mean someone who knows how to inherit money!

[Rogo99]

12:09 PM on 01/14/2012

Just what the country needs, another rich, old, caucasian businessman thinking he can do something good for his state, when it's only to enrich himself and the rest of his ilk.

[cjohns58]

10:55 AM on 01/14/2012

A member of the other political party challenges the incumbent, yawn.

[diveguy99]

10:45 AM on 01/14/2012

Politicians should have to wear their sponsors like NASCAR drivers do.

We should sell naming rights to their seats, too. Along the lines of the "Honorable Shell Oil Senator from Texas" or the "Honorable Goldman Sachs Representative from New York".

[oucwboy]

08:16 PM on 01/14/2012

What would Obama be wearing? Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber or Prince Alwaleed I would guess!

[Jced]

08:36 AM on 01/15/2012

The stuff you spout is TIRED and OLD.... not to mention makes no sense whatsoever!

[SaddleBum]

10:41 AM on 01/14/2012

manchin is a republican anyway. who cares.

[CoronaDischarge]

10:57 AM on 01/14/2012

You care for party votes whether you like his positions or not.