Former West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Elliott “Spike” Maynard is running for the congressional seat that has been held by Democrat Nick J. Rahall for 33 years.

Maynard announced Monday he has filed candidacy papers to run for the 3rd District seat as a Republican. He was a longtime Democrat until he switched parties and joined the GOP late last year.

Maynard joins a crowded field vying for the Republican party’s nomination for the seat. Lee A. Bias of Barboursville, Marty Gearheart of Bluefield and Conrad G. Lucas II of Huntington also filed with the Secretary of State’s Office before the Jan. 30 deadline.

Rahall, meanwhile, will face Bruce Barilla of Bluefield in the Democratic primary. It is the first time since 2002 that Rahall has faced competition in a primary and only the sixth time over the course of his 18 congressional campaigns.

The 67-year-old Maynard was a Mingo Circuit judge when he won a Supreme Court seat in 1996. He lost his 2008 primary bid 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.

Maynard said in a prepared release Monday that coal will play an important role in his campaign and that he opposes “unreasonable and crippling over-regulation of the coal industry.”

“I am running for Congress to save coal jobs and jobs that depend on coal,” Maynard said. “West Virginians deserve a congressman who will fight to end this war on coal instead of standing by idly as thousands of local jobs are threatened.”

Maynard also indicated that he decided to switch parties because of the controversy surrounding the Environmental Protection Agency’s review of several surface mining permits in the state.

“When Washington liberals declared war on the coal industry and threatened thousands of West Virginia jobs, Maynard decided their party was headed in the wrong direction,” the release states.

“I didn’t leave the Democratic Party — the Democratic Party left me,” Maynard said. “We should be creating jobs, not killing them. We should be producing energy, not reducing energy.”

Marybeth Beller, an associate professor of political science at Marshall University, said Maynard has the edge to win the GOP’s nomination and could have some momentum if he faces Rahall.

“He’s already won a statewide race, so his name is known,” she said. “This is also shaping up to be an anti-incumbent year and the Republican Party is hungry.”

Beller said she expects Maynard will attempt to portray Rahall as anti-coal because constituents in the 3rd District are worried about proposed cap-and-trade legislation. Although Rahall voted against the legislation, she expects Maynard will try to use Rahall’s support of the Obama administration against him.

“Those are two very good marketing angles for Maynard,” Beller said. “Then again, Rahall is not an enemy of coal by any stretch of the imagination. The truth is that he has a rich history of protecting all industries in his district.”

Beller said Maynard still faces an uphill battle if he expects to unseat Rahall. Maynard is just two years removed from the conflict-of-interest scandal involving Blankenship, and the overwhelming Democratic voter registration in the 3rd District is a challenge for any Republican who tries to unseat Rahall, she said.

According to the Secretary of State's Office, nearly 66 percent of the registered voters in the district are Democrats. About 22 percent of the voters in the district are registered as Republicans, while 11 percent are listed as independents.

Troy Berman, executive director for the West Virginia Republican Party, said the GOP will embrace Maynard.

“He’s been a conservative his entire life, so it’s not much of a jump for him,” Berman said. “If I was Nicky Joe, I’d be worried by the fact that there are four Republicans vying for their party’s nomination and that I’m being challenged in my own primary. It doesn’t speak well of the representation he’s been giving to his constituents of late.”

State Democratic Party Chairman Nick Casey said Maynard is a viable challenger to Rahall. Voters, however, will see through Maynard’s message if he attempts to discredit Rahall’s support of the coal industry, Casey said.

“The various things Congressman Rahall has supported and protected for the coal industry are the very same issues that Mr. Maynard feels he can improve on as a junior member of Congress with no seniority, no relationships and no committee ranking,” Casey said.

Casey also said the Democratic Party had supported Maynard in the past.

“Loyalty is an attribute that West Virginians think of very highly,” he said. “If you don’t have confidence in someone’s loyalty, how can you have confidence in anything they say or do?”

Rahall had scheduled meetings with officials in Webster County on Monday and could not be reached for comment.

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