HUNTINGTON — Southern West Virginia congressman Nick Rahall won the Democratic Party’s nomination to seek an 18th term in the House of Representatives.

He will face former state Supreme Court Justice Elliott “Spike” Maynard, who narrowly defeated Marty Gearheart and two other challengers Tuesday to win the Republican Party’s nomination for the 3rd Congressional District.

Rahall easily defeated challenger Bruce Barilla of Bluefield. Barilla entered the race with plans to spend just $5,000 campaigning.

Rahall was first elected in 1976 and is currently serving his 17th term.

Maynard lost his primary bid in 2008 and switched parties late in 2009. The other Republican candidates were Marty Gearhart of Bluefield, Conrad Lucas of Huntington and Lee Bias of Barboursville.

With all of the district’s 614 precincts reporting, Maynard held a slim lead with 4,996 votes, followed by Gearheart with 4,563, Lucas with 4,186 and Bias with 2,860.

Perhaps the most recognizable name in the bunch is Maynard. He lost his 2008 re-election bid on the Supreme Court amid a scandal involving photos showing him socializing in Monaco with Massey Energy coal executive Don Blankenship. Massey had several major cases before the court at the time.

Coal and health care reform were two issues that dominated the primary campaign and are likely to be at the forefront in the general election campaign, too.

Rahall received criticism from some in the coal industry for waiting until the last minute to voice his opposition to cap and trade legislation, which he ultimately voted against. Rahall said he was merely trying to secure additional funding above the $10 billion in the bill for clean coal technology research and extend deadlines for reducing carbon emissions.

Rahall also has defended his vote for health care reform by saying the legislation is not perfect, but the positives far outweigh the negatives.

Maynard, meanwhile, has said he would support not funding the health care legislation if elected to Congress. His primary reason for entering the race is because of the “unreasonable and crippling over-regulation of the coal industry.”

Voter registration in the 3rd Congressional District is 66 percent Democrat. Rahall’s vote total of 44,544 in Tuesday’s primary nearly tripled the combined 16,605 votes for the four Republican candidates.

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