CHARLESTON -- His favored presidential candidate didn't make much of an impression in West Virginia, but Sen. Jay Rockefeller still won an easy victory in the Democratic primary.
Rockefeller was joined in the winner's circle by Anne Barth, a longtime aide to Sen. Robert C. Byrd who was nominated to run in the 2nd Congressional District against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito.
"Ever since I came to West Virginia in 1964, I found out who I was and what I really wanted to do with my life," Rockefeller told The Associated Press.
With 49 percent of the vote in, Rockefeller was leading with 77 percent.
In the 2nd District, Barth was leading with 61 percent of the vote with 36 percent of the district's 594 precincts counted.
"I'm very pleased the voters of this district have given me this opportunity to fight for them," Barth said.
Byrd, who has campaigned with Barth, praised his protege Tuesday night.
"I am so pleased that the voters have recognized in her all of the wonderful qualities that I have seen firsthand over many years," Byrd said in a statement.
During the campaign, Rockefeller took heat from one opponent over his endorsement of Barack Obama, who was trounced in the Mountain State primary Tuesday by Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"When I came to West Virginia, it took people a while to accept me," Rockefeller said. "Barack is new to West Virginia, and the Clintons are not new to West Virginia."
While Clinton and her family have crisscrossed West Virginia in recent days in an effort to confirm pre-election polls that show her with at least a 30-point lead, Obama made two campaign stops to the state, the most recent on Monday.
That didn't help his chances; The Associated Press declared Clinton the winner virtually as soon as polls closed at 7:30 p.m., based on exit polling data that showed her with a huge lead over Obama.
Rockefeller had two challengers -- former state Republican lawmaker Sheirl Fletcher and state Division of Motor Vehicles employee Billy Hendricks Jr.
Fletcher, a Morgantown resident who switched parties after 2002, wrapped Rockefeller over his support for Obama, saying it showed the former governor was out of touch with West Virginians.
Hendricks, of Whitesville, didn't expect to win, but wanted to draw attention to the federal deficit and the need for term limits. Hendricks ran an unsuccessful primary campaign against Byrd in 2006.
Rockefeller's win means he will have a rematch with Republican Jay Wolfe in November. Rockefeller defeated Wolfe in 2002 by a nearly 2-1 vote.
In Barth's race, much of the state's Democratic establishment had rallied behind her, partly because of her longtime ties to Byrd. Her competitors were former South Charleston Mayor Richie Robb and South Charleston lawyer Thornton Cooper.
Robb switched parties in 2005 saying he was dissatisfied with the Bush Administration's policies.
Neither of the state's other two U.S. House members have opposition in the primary. Democrat Rep. Nick Rahall faces Republican Marty Gearheart in the fall in the 3rd District. Democrat Rep. Alan Mollohan is unopposed in the primary and general elections for his 1st District seat.
Exit poll data showed deep divisions among voters in the state Democratic primary. Barely a third of Clinton supporters said they'd vote for Obama; roughly as many said they'll vote for Republican John McCain if Obama is the party's nominee.
Race and gender were also factors in the voting. A quarter of Clinton voters said race was an important factor in their vote, while nearly one-fifth of Obama voters said gender played an important role in their decision.
Although it was largely a foregone conclusion, the state Republican Party also held its presidential primary. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the party's convention Feb. 5, but his departure from the race left the field clear for McCain.
McCain was pronounced the winner of the state primary about an hour after polls closed Tuesday.
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